


The Forrester Plot

by EdricForrester27



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Chaptered, House Forrester, Series, The Forrester Plot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-31
Updated: 2019-11-09
Packaged: 2020-04-05 06:56:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 28,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19043443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EdricForrester27/pseuds/EdricForrester27
Summary: The events centered around House Forrester when a mysterious boy arrives and throws open the gates to future horrors and past misdeeds.





	1. Night's Eye, Winter's Hearth

Deep in the heart of the Wolfswood, a ragtag group of men walked amidst the trees, footsteps muffled by wet leaves covered in dew. The men were armed with a few shortswords and a single spear each. They carried almost no other items on their person beside the thick cloaks that they wrapped tightly around themselves. It had begun to get colder as the days went by and it was the least they could do to shield from the breeze that made the branches dance erratically. The man at the head of the group walked with purpose, yet hunched as if he were trying to hide his true stature. His eyes darted around, scouting the area before them, unsure of what he would encounter in the depths of these woods. His hand did not leave the hilt of the ornate sword that he kept buckled to his belt, gleaming as the rays of sunrise struck the pommel through the canopy of leaves.

Amongst them walked a boy, not quite of age but old enough to carry supplies on his back. He walked in the middle of the group of ten men, wary, with his eyes watching the floor of the forest, being careful not to trip on a loose root thus making a fool of himself. Adjusting the pack that he carried on his back he looked ahead at the lead knight. He felt gladdened by his presence, but he was still pestered by a sense of uneasiness that he could not quite shake off. Something big was going to happen soon. He could sense it. He just needed to do what his father had said and finish the quest. His last task to truly become a man. A task that would save the lives of many. A task that would require all of his strength and resolve. He closed his eyes for a minute and prayed to the old Gods while tightening his fist around the direwolf pendant hanging around his neck.

The lead knight, known to many as Magus, looked up at the setting sun and stopped walking. Without looking back he said, "We shall stop here for today. Ironrath is two more days away and we should conserve our strength, for when we reach..." Then he looked right at the boy and continued with a solemn tone, "for when we reach, we bring with us grave happenings."

The boy stared back at Magus and held the gaze without wavering. Such was his nature. He was built with fire and salt and the fire shall not be wet. After that brief moment had passed Mageblade turned away with a scowl and sat down ordering a few men to fetch some firewood.

 

*****

 

That night the boy dreamt.

Lying under the starry sky, he dreamt of fire and screams.

He dreamt of a grey-black direwolf guarding an Ironwood tree that was being cut down by masked men and women.

He dreamt of shadows dancing in the moonlight while blood sprayed all around them.

He dreamt of a direwolf with a crown on its head, staring off over a field of water and bodies.

His dreams started moving faster and faster showing fleeting glimpses of Ironwood trees being burned.

And all the time he kept hearing the chant again and again. The chant he hears in all of his somnolent voyages:

 

“Fire. Fire. Fire.

Iron from Ice.

Fire melts Ice.

Fire. Fire. Fire.”

 

Then, the last thing he saw was a dying man in the snow screaming for help to a she-wolf who wore an Ironwood crown. He remembered seeing tears in her eyes before he snapped awake, a large shadow over him.  

He squinted his eyes till they focused, revealing the cold, dark eyes of Magus. The fire that they had made to keep them warm during the night had died out and dew coated the remainder of the firewood. He looked around trying to get his mind back to the present and away from the dream he had had. A sudden sharp pain appeared behind his eyes, making the boy look down with a gasp, his eyes focusing on the wet leaves at his feet. He tried blinking to clear his eyes and mind till he could make out every detail of the brownish leaves at his feet.  _"_ _That made my head ache more than the previous dreams did,"_ he thought to himself while he rubbed his forehead with both his hands.

"You were seeing again, weren't you boy?" the old knight asked in his gruff voice. The boy looked up again at Magus, confused and a little surprised. He wasn't sure what his tone was but he thought he could sense a bit of concern mixed with the anger.

Taking his look as affirmation, the knight scoffed, "By the gods, why is it me that has to deal with this abomination? You should be counting your stars that I'm following orders, boy. Otherwise I would have left you behind a long time ago!" He gave him one last look and then rolled over and lay back down, falling asleep almost immediately judging from the soft snores.

The boy looked sadly at him and wiped the blood dripping down from his nostrils. He needed to get to Ironrath fast. Edric Forrester must be warned. He must be warned.

 

*****

 

The next day the boy woke up after a troubled but dreamless sleep. Wiping the dew out of his clothes he sat up slowly looking around to see how late he was and just as he suspected, the other men had already prepared themselves for the journey ahead and were waiting for him to wake. His eyes caught each of their gazes as they looked back at him, fear unmistakable in their stares.

 _"They are still scared of me"_ he thought to himself sadly. _"Oh, what have I done to deserve this? There isn't a single soul who is willing to approach me without fear in their glances."_  His eyes began to fill with tears but he held them back, rubbing his face to hide them. _"I suppose I will always be alone in this world,"_  he said to himself as he looked back up at the men again, his eyes hardened and filled with resolve. _"But_ _the mission is more important at the moment. I need to finish this. I have to."_

With that he rose and dusted himself scattering all the leaves that had fallen over his body while he slept. The men looked up, their eyes following him unabashedly, as they followed suit and stood up. The old warrior, known as Magus, was the only one who continued to stare down at his feet as he leaned against a nearby tree. Looking up and seeing that the boy was ready, he grunted, "Move" and walked on as the rest of the group hurried to follow him. As they neared him they stepped back into formation effortlessly, making sure the boy was in the centre of their rhomboid formation. Their orders were to protect him with their lives.

The group covered good ground that day as the weather was pleasant and all they could hear as they walked was the sound of crunching leaves and the chirping of birds. It made the boy feel a bit better, but the feeling of uneasiness still clung to him like sweat.

 

*****

 

That night as they were getting ready for bed, one of the men who was keeping watch suddenly signaled the rest with a low whistle. The group immediately grabbed their weapons and wordlessly formed a circle around the boy, with Magus in the center beside him.

The soldier, who had signaled the rest, said in a low whisper to Magus, "Ser, I saw something dart between the trees. As much as I could tell, it looked like a large animal. I couldn't make out what exactly it was, as its body caught the moonlight for only a split second. I do not know how it got so close without alerting any of us but it made almost no sound as it moved. None at all!"

He was trembling with fear as he said this, but Magus payed him no heed. He just stood there in the darkness watching their surroundings, one hand on his sword, the other ready to grab the boy if need be.

The silence hung like a shroud over them and it almost seemed like a small breeze was enough to rip it away and bring back the sound around them. The anxiety, fear, and impatience were almost palpable as the boy looked around, scared. And then they heard it. A low growl. It was coming from directly in front of them, not more than a few feet away. A few seconds later there was another growl from right behind, followed by more from every direction. 

The boy crouched at the center of the circle and quivered with fear. It almost felt like the dark was growling at them since they could see nothing beyond the meager light from their firewood. He had heard stories of wolf packs that roamed the land raiding villages and settlements and attacking travelers. And that was when he saw it.

Up ahead, standing on a slope was a large wolf, much taller than him. It stood there bathed in the moonlight, unmoving, watching them with cold, pale eyes.

"Is that a direwolf?" the boy whispered to Magus.

Magus looked at it for a while and replied, "I do not think so. That creature there does not have the long snout and thick legs of a direwolf. It seems like it may just be a really big wolf or it was sired by a direwolf and a wolf." He looked at the boy, "Those are not just stories, boy. Whatever this is, it is leading this pack and I fear we have just walked into his territory."

The boy looked up at the wolf with wide eyes. Fear burning harder within him. Not just fear, there was something else too. Something he had never felt before. Was it lust for a fight? Or an instinct to survive? He shook his head and kept quiet, inching a little closer towards the old knight.

After what felt like hours, the lead wolf flattened his body a little and growled at the human pack in front of him. It felt more like a snarl, but the boy could feel the menace and bloodlust behind it. Pawing the ground, the wolf tilted his head back and howled as loud as he could. It held the note for a while and looked back down at the pack, his mouth looking almost like it was twisted into a smile. The boy tightened his grip on the dire wolf pendant around his neck. _"That was the signal,"_ And just as the thought left him, the other wolves pounced.

The men all used their shields to defend themselves and the boy from the onslaught of the wolves. They used spears instead of swords, for now, keeping the wolves at arm's length while they jabbed and prodded, occasionally pushing the wolves away with their shields. The men outnumbered the wolves two to one, but that did not stop them from putting up a fight. The wolves appeared to be using the disadvantage of the spears' slow movements to try and get near the shields so that they could swipe it away from their hands. This plan succeeded in one instance and one of the wolves managed to kill two of the men, their screams stopping almost instantly, as their teeth ripped into their flesh. However owing to their numbers, the men were able to overcome the wolves and all that was left standing was the lead wolf. He had not joined the brawl, choosing instead to stay on the slope, watching the whole ordeal silently. As he watched the last wolf fall, he growled ferociously and readied himself to pounce.

The men roared back, raising their shields and spears in defiance and victory. However Magus was having none of it. He knew better than to underestimate the power of such a large wolf. "Lower your weapons, men." he said with a low voice, "I will deal with this one, and keep the boy as far away from the fight as possible." With that he walked out of the protective circle and towards the lone enemy, drawing his sword out as he neared him. The boy stared after him in shock and awe, his open mouth catching a few insects that he had to spit out. The boy followed a few of the soldiers as they backed him away from the coming conflict. The remaining men followed the old knight, a few feet away as they knew he needed his space.

Magus reached the top of the slope and stood in front of the wolf, his sword drawn in one hand while the other hand was to his side as if he were grabbing the air. "Attack, beast!" He growled. The wolf growled back and lunged towards him with its enormous paws, giving the knight hardly any time to dodge the attack. The wolf regained its bearing and lunged again from a different direction, his movements as quick as an arrow. To the boy's amazement, the old knight dodged successfully again. The wolf was getting visibly more angry and his movements more reckless and aggressive. Claws crashed against blade as Magus met the wolf's attacks with ease, showing no signs of exhaustion even after the continuous onslaught of speed and power. Finally after they tussled a while more, the wolf lunged at an opening, only for the sword to swing through the air and come away, soaked in bright red blood. The boy watched with wide eyes as the wolf's paw fell to the ground just as the beast howled in anguish. Without taking any pauses, the knight swung again and with the next stroke, the wolf's hind legs were covered in blood. Shifting his footing, Magus ended the fight with one final stroke of the sword. And thus ended the miserable creature's reign of terror in the Wolfswood.

Magus wiped his sword clean on his armor before sheathing it and giving the corpse one last glance. Then he turned to his men and found them staring at him with jaws wide open, their eyes wide. Annoyed, he growled at them, "Well? Are you waiting for me to shove my cock down your throats? GET MOVING!!" And without waiting for them he turned and walked away down the other side of the slope.

 

*****

 

_At Winterfell, Rhaenys raised her head and looked out of the window. Her ear twitched. Something had changed and she felt better. She felt a source of evil was dead. That made her happy and hungry. She got up and pawed her way to the storage. To eat some meat._

_Somewhere in Essos, in the palace of the Emperor of Yiti, Fenrir stopped in his tracks as he too felt the same way Rhaenys did. His sister and he had always shared a bond. A bond of the mind and of the soul. They had known each other since they were direwolf pups after all. He too felt happy and hungry. But he could not eat at the moment. He was in the middle of running up a flight of steps after Edric, who was in a panic. He wagged his tail and ran on._

 

*****

 

The boy continued his journey towards Ironrath with the men, Magus still leading the way. Their numbers had dropped but they still pressed on because their task was so important. The orders from the boy's father were simple. Deliver the boy to Lord Edric Forrester at Ironrath before it was too late. No matter the cost.

That night as they rested, the boy had a different dream. He dreamt he was visited by a spirit. A spirit of a black-haired- man with a longsword strapped to his belt. The sword was bluish and had an Ironwood tree on its pommel. His very presence emitted lordship and when he spoke it was with a clear, deep voice that none could refuse. Looking directly at the boy, he said, "No matter who your father is, your role in this tale is important. It is you the Gods have entrusted this journey and that gift upon. And it is you that will carry it all the way. Find my son. Find Edric. He has to be saved."

And with that, the spirit vanished. The boy awoke with a start and blinked with a confused expression on his face. The dream had felt so real that for a minute he couldn't distinguish whether he was still asleep or not. His heart was still pounding and instinctively, he reached up to wipe the blood from his nostrils. But there was none. Then it dawned on him. The spirit had been real. The spirit of Lord Rodrik Forrester had spoken to him.

 

*  *  *  *  *

 

A few hours later, through the gaps of the trees, the boy saw the wooden castle and walls over which flew the banners of House Forrester. They had made it at last to the stronghold of Ironrath. "We are here!" He shouted with joy, and ran forward toward the gate. Magus sighed as he and the other men followed the boy, raising their arms up to show they come in peace. After their presence was acknowledged by the guards, the old knight began a conversation with them explaining who they were and their purpose here. The boy however was lost in awe as he stared up at the looming gate. He had only seen it in his dreams, the black Ironwood gate that was as strong as any metal and could withstand most impacts. The delicate threads of the Ironwood's strong wood weaving in and out of the dark beams reinforcing it further like a thread in cloth. His eyes followed the weaves as they met at the centre to form the shape of an Ironwood tree, the sigil of House Forrester. Seeing it before him now filled him with a sense of accomplishment and renewed resolve. _"We finally reached Ironrath! Home to the Forresters and the Whitehills, harvesters of the famed Ironwood trees, makers of the strongest shields in Westeros,"_ he whispered excitedly to himself.

He clenched his direwolf pendant tightly, _"Now all I have to do is meet Lord Forrester and my goal will be complete. Father will consider me a man, for finishing this mission, and I can save all these people from what is coming for them."_ As he finished that thought, the familiar feeling of dread began to creep into him before he pushed them aside and ran toward the gates of Ironrath just as they began to open.

 

*****


	2. Lucid Beginnings

The small band of weary soldiers walked with the boy through Ironrath's streets, maintaining a steady pace as they navigated towards the keep. Once the gates had opened, five guards stood at the other side waiting to escort them to their destination. " _I suppose they can't afford to be lenient even though they are this deep inside the Wolfswood,_ " Magus thought to himself as they followed the guards. " _I can see why this city_ _hasn't been breached in centuries._ " His eyes darted around, as they always do, scanning their immediate surroundings for any suspicious movements. " _I don't believe the Forresters wouldn't harm us, especially after what happened to Rodrik Forrester all those years ago. But if the common folk ever found out who we are, the boy would not be safe in this city, and neither would I, despite all the skill I possess."_  He scratched his stubble subconsciously, mapping his surroundings and planning escape routes in case they needed to evacuate.

Meanwhile, the boy was completely oblivious to Magus' paranoia as he marvelled at the architecture of Ironrath and the feel of the city as a whole. This was the first time he had ever been outside his home since he was born and now there were too many things happening around him to even count. They were passing through a bustling marketplace where people were selling their wares and calling out their products so that other's would buy from them. He saw people laughing at a joke, heard the sounds of parents playing with their children, saw loved ones spending time with each other as they strolled through the streets. Suddenly there was a loud shout and he glanced, terrified in the direction it had come from, only to see a young boy dropping a bucket of water on the floor and run away from an insect flying near him. The boy looked at all these pockets of events with a sad smile on his face. " _They have no idea what they will go through in the coming days,_ " he thought to himself as he looked up at the keep that they had now reached. _"At least they are happy for now. All these smiles, laughs and happy times people are experiencing right now. They do not know that those laughs will soon turn to screams._ "

He fell back behind Magus as they climbed the steps to the entrance of the keep, " _I just hope I will be able to save them in time. Lord Edric must be told of what I have seen"._ As they reached the top of the steps he squared his shoulders and straightened his face with resolve. " _I must help these people. I will help these people."_  As they walked in, more guards surrounded them, escorting them to the central hall where Lord Edric hopefully sat. However, even with the resolve, he still felt the uneasiness that he had always felt.

_"Something was not right."_

 

*****

 

When they reached the doors to the central hall, one of the guards knocked on them with three sharp knocks. The sound his knuckles made as they came in contact with the hardened Ironwood echoed down the hallway that they were in, and Magus could feel the emptiness that surrounded their small group. _"Is no one here? Why are the halls empty? Why are there so many guards escorting us?"_ he thought to himself confused. Their walk inside had been uneventful save for the addition of extra guards to their group. However, the carpeted floors, polished walls and the tall halls felt empty and deserted. After a moment of pause, a voice from inside rang out, "Let them in!"

" _Word of our arrival has already reached Lord Forrester I see,_ " Magus glanced at the boy.

The large Ironwood doors swung open slowly and the group walked into the Great Hall of Ironrath. The hall was not as big as Magus had thought it would be, but to say it was nothing less than fascinating was a lie. The doors opened up to a large room that was flanked with a few banners of House Forrester on either side, lit by braziers that lined the wall. To his left near the head of the hall was a large fireplace with a roaring fire that kept the room warm despite the cold weather outside. As they entered, they looked up to the head of the hall where a table sat on an elevation flanked by four wooden chairs, and at the head of the table sat a Lord. He was in front of a large window that shone bright with the daylight from outside, his cloak draped over the Lord's chair on which he sat. As they approached, Magus could tell that this was not the young Lord that they were expecting to see, instead, they saw that the Lord was a middle-aged, grey-haired man who glowered at them with bloodshot eyes like he had just been woken up. His energy and expression were one of annoyance and Magus took an immediate disliking to this Lord. He turned and glanced at the boy beside him, only to find him with a confused expression on his face.

"Welcome, Ser Magus of House...Ryswell" the Lord added with a pause after glancing at the knight standing beside him, who nodded back as if to confirm the name. Turning back to Magus, he continued with a deep voice. "You are a long way from home, Ser Magus. What brings you here to Ironrath wishing to see the Lord with such haste?" He sat back on his seat his bloodshot eyes unwavering and fixed on Magus' black eyes.

Magus considered him for a moment and glanced at the knight standing beside the Lord, who he hadn't noticed till the Lord had glanced at him. The knight looked back with a steely expression on his face. He seemed to be a seasoned fighter, judging from the way he stood and his demeanour. The light falling on his face, exemplified his facial features, especially a large scar on his right cheek. His dark grey hair shimmered in the light as he stood staring back at Magus.

Magus nodded respectfully at the knight and turned back to the Lord giving him a slight bow, "Thank you for letting us into Ironrath m'lord. Before I respond to your question, may I ask who you are? For I am certain you are not Lord Edric. I was told he was a much younger man. Or perhaps I was mistaken?" he asked with one eyebrow raised. The Lord's finger twitched as annoyance once again flashed across his face, before it was replaced by a genuine, small smile. Magus added noticing the knight's expression hardening and the other Forrester guards in the room tense up. "With all due respect m' lord, my orders were simple, that I should convey my message to no one but Lord Edric Forrester."

The Lord's chair scraped against the floor as he stood up with his arms out to the sides, "Of course, where are my manners? And yes you are absolutely right, I am not Lord Edric. My name is Ruben Whitehill, uncle to Lord Edric and castellan of Ironrath." He put his hands down on the table and supported his weight forward as he stood. Magus could see that the man though greying, was still fit, judging from the muscles of his forearms. Ruben continued, "I am sorry to disappoint you, however, neither the Lord nor Lady of Ironrath is here at the moment and I have been entrusted by Lord Edric to be the castellan till he returns."

Magus' eyebrow twitched and he glanced at the boy beside him before replying, "Do you know when he will be back?"

Ruben shook his head, "I wish I did know, Ser. Unfortunately, Lord Edric did not tell us." He folded his arms, his face straightening back to a slight frown, "Now that we have got that out of the way, I ask again: What is your purpose here?"

Magus glanced again at the boy beside him before replying, "You mentioned a Lady. The Lord's wife? Where is she?"

Ruben stared at him fighting back a smile before he chuckled, despite his annoyed expression, "Wife? No, Lord Edric is unmarried, much to the joy of many women I presume. The Lady is the Lord's sister, Lady Anna Forrester." He continued to chuckle at something unknown to Magus before he added, "She is married to Lord Brandon Stark." He paused, his expression changing to that of confusion and doubt, "House Ryswell is a vassal of House Stark is it not? How do you not know about the marriage and Lady Anna?" 

Magus tensed, but kept his usual calm expression, his eyes flitting towards the position of the guards around him. His men were all lined up behind him, all of whom had been relieved of their weapons at the door. Magus' sword was now with one of the guards outside the room and he hoped the guard wouldn't unwrap the cloth it was in. " _It would only complicate things if they were to recognise that sword before I diffuse the situation here._ "

Ruben began to walk towards him, the knight following close behind. His eyes did not leave Magus and he asked, "Who are you, really?" His tone had changed completely and was now dripping with anger, "What is your true goal in coming here?"

Everything was unravelling too fast for Magus to handle, and he knew he had to make a decision quickly. He glanced at the scared boy behind him and before Ruben could say another word, he charged at him, pulling out a small dagger hidden in his vambrace as he did so. The knight behind Ruben launched forward and brought his sword to Magus' throat just as Magus brought his dagger to Ruben's neck. The guards behind them immediately brought their spears out and surrounded Magus' men and Arthur, who stood in shock looking at Magus.

The sword grazed the skin of his neck as Magus adjusted his stance, the dagger still at Ruben's throat. The three men stood still, each watching the other, as a silence hung over the hall, broken only by the crackling of the burning logs in the fireplace. Magus's eyes were fixed on the castellan and flitted between the two men, his thoughts moving everywhere, " _I have no choice, I have to give up my cover now. That is the only way I can progress this meeting until I can get into contact with either the Lord or Lady of this city."_

Magus glanced at the knight before looking down at Ruben who stood almost half a foot shorter than him, "Send word to Lady Anna. Now. Tell her that her presence is required here. I will not ask again."

Ruben's eyes hardened slightly, "How dare you? In our hall, you dare threaten us? Who do you think you are? My guards will kill all your men in an instant!"

"Aye they would, but not before I cut your throat. You see, I have no qualms over spilling Forrester blood. However, unlike my brother, I would do it only if I have no other choice." he added subtly letting out who he actually was.

There was a moment of silence once again as Ruben took in what he had just heard, before his eyes widened, "You - Your brother is Archus Snow?" His voice wavered as he vocalised the name.

Magus nodded curtly, "Half-brother but aye. I am. I used Ryswell as my name and my coat of arms to get through the gates," he added, nodding towards his chest where the black horse of House Ryswell was stitched onto the fabric. "I knew I would have trouble in this city if anyone found out who I really was, so I came prepared. Now for the last time, send for the Lord or Lady!" he added, his voice rising ever so slightly. The castellan held his ground but Magus could see the sweat dripping down his slowly reddening face as he became visibly more agitated.

Before he could say anything, the boy came running forward from behind them. He had tears running down his cheeks as he ran towards Ruben. "Boy," said Magus cautiously, but he ignored him and began pleading, "Please. Please, I beg you! Just listen to him and send for Lady Anna. She must know! Please! All the lives in this city are at stake. I beg you!" And he knelt there, crying before a wide-eyed Ruben, his small form quivering.

 

*  *  *  *  *

 

A raven screeched as it flew away from Ironrath, climbing over the treetops above the Wolfswood. Attached to its leg was a small scroll of parchment that bristled in the wind as the bird began to pick up speed. The cold air pushed the bird around but it stayed true to its course and continued on the mission.

 

*****

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter this time, but I thought this would be a good point to stop it. Hope you guys are enjoying it!


	3. Reveries

Anna Forrester sat still, her eyes looking out the window, lost in thought. In her hand, she clutched the roll of parchment that had arrived from Ironrath, her fingers absently tracing the dried ink.

" _What is happening?_ " she thought to herself, her eyes following the trees in the Winterfell Godswood as they swayed back and forth in the cold breeze. " _Just when I thought that night would never come up again, here we are._ "

A single tear rolled down her face as she remembered everything that happened that fateful night. The night that had changed their lives forever. Brushing a tear away she looked down at the letter again, reading it one more time:

 

_Lady Anna,_

_My niece, there has been a situation at Ironrath. I would not call you here unless it was necessary, but this matter is of the utmost importance. We have some visitors here who have arrived with grave news. I dare not say who they are over this letter, but I can tell you this. The matter involves the day Rodrik died._

_I once again apologize for calling you here at such haste, Anna, but it is important._

_I have sent our elite troops to escort you here. They should arrive in about a day or so._

_I hope Robert and Lord Stark are well._

_With love,_

_Ruben Whitehill,_

_Castellan of Ironrath._

 

Just as she finished the letter, Rhaenys quietly entered the room, her eyes fixed on Anna. The way her green eyes looked at her, made Anna feel like the direwolf was concerned. That thought made her smile and she put her arm out beckoning the direwolf towards her. Rhaenys approached, her head at the level of Anna's shoulder, and nuzzled her neck softly with her nose, adding soft licks. Anna chuckled and ran her hands through Rhaeny's thick, black fur, scratching behind her ears. The direwolf made a soft grunt and lay her head on Anna's lap as she sat down beside her. Anna looked down at her, "Rhaenys, our past is coming back to haunt us." she said, running her hands through Rhaenys' fur. "We need to go to Ironrath and solve this situation before Edric comes back. I don't want him to relive the trauma he went through all those years ago." She sighed, "I am glad that you are here Rhaenys. Always glad." Rhaenys looked up at her and blinked once before closing her eyes.

They sat together a while longer, till the Septa called out for them. Anna had kept her in charge of Robert while she was meeting with Maester Greystone to collect the letter. Rhaenys' ear perked up and she stood up quickly, padding her way towards the door, where she paused and turned around to see if Anna was following her. Anna smiled and adjusted her hair before she followed the direwolf to the kitchen where the Septa sat with her son. On the way, she requested one of the guards to fetch Maester Greystone and meet her in the hall. There was much they had to plan before she could leave.

 

*****

 

The six elite Forrester troops arrived the next day, their black breastplates gleaming in the warm sunlight as they waited for Anna in the Winterfell courtyard. Their arrival had been announced beforehand and so Anna had plenty of time to don her armor and get ready for her departure. She adjusted her bow on her back and tied her hair back against her head so that it would not come in the way. It had been a while since she even had the chance to put this armor on and a small part of her was excited just to wear it and venture out of the city again. The armor was specially made for her by Braun, the Ironrath blacksmith, to match the one he had made for her brother. They were both form-fitting and designed after the features of a bat with raised horns over the helmet and a long cape. The main difference between their armor was that hers was silver with gold markings while his was a very dark grey with black.

After saying farewell to her son and Maester Greystone, she held her helmet in her hand and she walked down the steps to the courtyard, her eyes following the men who awaited her. She approached the lone white horse that stood quietly at the head of the troops, but as she neared, it began to neigh nervously. Anna turned around and saw Rhaenys slowly approaching the horses, her eyes fixed on the newcomers, almost assessing them. Though Rhaenys was young, her shoulders were already half the height of the horse, and Anna knew that she would be as big when she is fully grown. For some reason, that image made her smile to herself.

She ran her gloved hand over the horse's neck and through his mane quieting it before she mounted it in a single, fluid motion, her cape slowly settling down around her as the gravity finally caught up with it. Adjusting the belt around her waist she placed her sword in front of her and looked up to wave at her son, Robert, one more time before nudging her steed around towards the gate. Rhaenys bounded far in front of the group so that she could scout ahead and wouldn't frighten the horses during the march.

With the rest of the elite troops following, Rhaenys and Anna departed on what would be the most important mission of their lives.

 

*****

 

_"M'lord!" called a voice, cutting through the silence of the night. Inside their tent, Anna rolled over in her sleep, too tired to respond. She knew that her father would take care of whatever the issue was, for all she wanted in this moment was to stay asleep and never awake. "M'lord!" the voice called out again, this time louder and more frantic._

_Beside her, she could feel her father stir as he awoke to see what was happening. "What is it? What makes you wake us in the middle of the night?", Lord Rodrik Forrester replied in a stern but cautious voice._

_Anna could not stay asleep anymore and her eyes shot open, just as one of their men entered the tent with a deep bow. He appeared scared and almost tripped over his own feet._

_"M'lord! We are under attack!" the frightened guard finally managed to say._

_Lord Rodrik Forrester's face immediately switched to one of concentration as he stood up, adjusting his shirt as he did so. He looked down at Anna, who was staring wide-eyed at him from her blanket, "Anna, wake up and find your brother. I want you two to stay near your mother so that you can protect her." He ran a hand through her hair as he smiled softly, "I love you."_

That was when she was pulled back to the present, her eyes refocusing on the gates of Ironrath before her just as her mind followed suit. She didn't want to remember the events of that day but passing through the Wolfswood had always triggered some of those memories. Just not this vivid.

 

*****

 

It had been about two days since they had left Winterfell and Anna was glad to see that that they had arrived outside the gates of Ironrath, just as the sun was rising over the top of the Wolfswood. The elite troops that Ruben had sent her had made sure that they made it back as quickly as they could without question and Anna was glad they did. The last thing she needed was to waste time because her men had started to complain about the fact that they had not been able to take any breaks.

The people of Ironrath were so glad to see their Lady back where she belonged. It had been many years since Anna had married and left for Winterfell to stay with her husband, but as she passed through the streets atop her horse, she felt like a small child again, running down the streets with Edric. Everywhere she looked she saw beaming faces, both young and old, staring at her with awe and happiness. It filled her with a sense of pride and purpose, something that she could feel nowhere else. But she could think about all this after the task was finished. After all, she was going to be dealing with animals soon and she needed all of her focus and resolve.

As she neared the Keep, the retinue that awaited them at the top of the steps began to stir and Ruben Whitehill strode out to meet her with a solemn smile on his face. She dismounted and hugged him tightly before whispering, "Iron from Ice" in his ear softly. He responded with the same and looked deep into her grey eyes, conveying that all was not well with the situation. Anna nodded and signaled for the elite troops to stand guard outside the keep so that they would not be disturbed by any curious interlopers. She whistled once as she knew that Rhaenys was somewhere in the vicinity, and sure enough the large, black direwolf bounded up to her, nuzzling her neck before looking at Ruben. He smiled uncomfortably, still not used to the presence of the direwolf, despite being around Fenrir many times. Rhaenys continued to look at him quietly without making a sound till Ruben put out a single trembling hand and pet her black fur softly. Rhaenys closed her eyes contentedly for a split second and then walked ahead towards the entrance of the keep. Anna chuckled and followed her with Ruben close behind.

When they reached the hall Anna paused before the doors were opened, trying to collect her thoughts and emotions so that she would not have an outburst in front of their weary guests. She told herself to push down the memory of her father's death just until this meeting was over so that she could remain completely objective throughout the whole ordeal. Finally taking a deep breath, she nodded to the guard and the door opened slowly greeting her with the occupants of the hall.

Anna entered the room along with Rhaenys and Ruben, her eyes darting around, gathering as much information as she could about the other people inside as she always did, just like her brother. The entire hall was flanked with Forrester troops positioned along the walls, in front of the fireplace, behind the table and also at the door. There was no way an intruder could stage an attack in here and escape unscathed. Then her eyes fell upon the travelers who had come to meet her. Eight men were standing in front of the table, all of them appearing weary and tired, even though they had a couple of night's worth of rest. At the center of the group stood a man who looked so much like Archus she could have sworn it was the same person. There was also a little boy, who looked to be not more than ten years old, sitting on a chair between the man and the eight soldiers, his position seeming to indicate that they were protecting him. All of them had the black horse of Ryswell stitched onto their garments but Anna had been briefed on the situation by Ruben on the way here. These were men were not of House Ryswell. " _The Hornwoods._ " she spat her in her mind before taking another deep breath to calm herself down.

Surprisingly to her, Rhaenys wasn't showing any signs of caution. She had walked up to the table, once they had entered, and was now sitting calmly near the head of the table watching all of them closely. " _There was no way these men were trustworthy._ " She thought to herself, slightly confused.

Anna shifted her focus to the man who Ruben called Magus, who stood in the center of the group, his arm around the young boy. She walked up to him, hoping to remain unfazed by his resemblance to his brother, stared him in the eye and asked, "Tell me what your real name is, what business you have here and who this child is." She said it as calmly as possible but with enough authority to demand a response, after all these men had come all this way here to meet her. She continued, "The boy seems to be the only one dressed well enough. The rest of you look like either his prisoners or his guards. And I'm assuming it's the latter. So tell me who are you and what you want."

Magus looked at her and then glanced at the direwolf before saying, "M'lady, I am Ser Magus Hornwood, son of Tytas Hornwood."

He paused as if to see if that would elicit any response from Anna, but she showed none and continued to stare at him waiting for the rest of what he had to say. He continued, "I know my family has a bad history with yours, owing mainly to my bastard brother, Archus, and the vile actions he had committed in the past. However, he has changed, m'lady. He is no longer the monster he once was. Age has caught up with him and so has wisdom." He paused to look down at the boy before continuing, "After I renounced my right to the seat of House Hornwood, he took my place and now is the Lord. And he has brought many smiles upon people's faces with his good deeds and choices. He -"

Anna lifted her hand indicating him to stop, before responding, "Your words seem both true and difficult to believe. He killed my father in cold blood, Ser Magus. In. Cold. Blood." She accentuated each word. "And for what? For riches? Or just for the pure pleasure of it? I know not. Nor will I ever. Not till I meet him and plunge my dagger deep in his heart and watch him squirm. Now spare me these tales of how wonderful your brother has become and tell me Ser Magus. Why are you here?"

Magus looked a bit dejected at Anna's disbelief towards his brother's changed ways. Nevertheless, he had a job to do. He beckoned for the boy to approach Anna.

The boy walked up to them and Magus made him stand between them and tapped his shoulder. The boy nodded, looked up at Anna and bowed, "Greetings Lady Anna Forrester. I am Arthur Hornwood. Trueborn son of Archus Hornwood, formerly Archus Snow. I have traveled far to meet you & Lord Edric and tell you that your house and your city is in danger. I have seen it."

Anna stared at the boy in shock. "Archus' son? What danger? What do you mean that you have seen it?"

The boy looked up at her with fear and hope swimming in his eyes saying, "I am a greenseer, Lady Anna. I have visions when I sleep. Sometimes they are normal dreams. Other times they are visions of what is to come or what can happen." He instinctively raised his hand to his temple, "But they affect me. Physically. I do not know how much more my body and mind can take, but I want to help with how much ever time I have left. I told my father of the dreams and he ordered me to immediately warn you of this."

Arthur paused before continuing, "He also asked me to give you two things. As a sign of good faith."

With that, the boy reached into his shirt and pulled out the silver direwolf pendant.

When Anna saw it she almost screamed in surprise and relief. "My pendant! By the Gods! It has been so long since I've seen it! I lost it the night that -" she stopped as the memories came flooding back, pushing her mind closer towards exploding into sheer chaos. Closing her eyes, she tried as hard as she could, not to let the emotions overcome her before she looked back down at her pendant that now lay in her hands. She closed her fingers around it and held it close to her heart as she remembered when Brandon had given it to her as a gift, a sign that they would marry each other one day. She looked down at the young boy before her and dropped down to one knee so that she could see him eye to eye. "Thank you so much. This pendant meant a lot to me and my husband."

The boy smiled and nodded before looking at Magus, who nodded back at the boy urging him to continue. Arthur spoke softly to Anna, "M'lady there is one other thing but your guards confiscated it from us when we got here. It was a sword wrapped in a dark red cloth. That is the second gift to you from my father."

Anna looked at him confused before turning to the guards and requesting them to fetch this sword from the armory where confiscated weapons were usually kept. The guard nodded and ran out to fetch it, returning a few minutes later and handing the sword to Anna. It was still wrapped inside the rich dark red cloth and when Anna pulled it aside, she gasped. There in her arms was the sword of House Forrester. The sword that fell from the hands of Lord Rodrik Forrester, the night that he died and had been taken by Archus Snow. She would recognize the bluish pommel with the Ironwood symbol anywhere. Tears streamed down her face as she reached out to grab the sword with trembling hands, carefully pulling it out of its sheath. She grasped it and marveled at it as she used to when she was younger, swinging it around and spinning it over her head before bringing it crashing down in mid-air. It felt almost natural in her hands as if it was made solely for a Forrester heir to wield. She sheathed the sword before placing it carefully on the table before her.

She wiped her tears and turned to Arthur and Magus, "My father's sword. Thank you. Why return it after all these years?"

Arthur was the one who replied, "Like my uncle said, he has changed m'lady. He wants to make up for the crimes he committed and for destroying your family. He truly feels remorse. This is his way of saying that he will atone for his sins one step at a time, by helping those he hurt.

Anna knelt on one knee again and hugged the boy. She whispered in his ear so that only he and Magus could hear, "I can never forgive your father for what he did to me and Edric but I'm grateful to him for showing me that even the worst people can take the right steps toward change." she kissed him on the forehead before standing up again, "Thank you, young Arthur for coming all this way. Now tell me, what have you seen?"

The boy took a deep breath and recited everything he saw in his dreams, from the direwolf guarded Ironwood tree being cut down, to the dancing shadows and chants of fire, to the direwolf looking over a sea of bodies to the burning city.

Anna listened to everything with wide eyes. Once the boy finished she asked, "But how does this all mean anything? What if these are all just what they are? Just dreams?”

It was Magus who responded to this, "M'lady, we know that Ironrath is in danger because my brother knows who will cause all this destruction. Some of his men intercepted a messenger a few weeks ago carrying a message from Ironrath to some unknown location. The messenger was traveling east and he had decided to spend the night at a Hornwood bar. There he drank to his heart's content and ended up blurting out the entire message to one of my brother's retired spies who relayed everything to my brother."

He paused so that they could take it all in, "There was no specific name to whom the letter was addressed to. But we know the messenger was to go towards the East coast. We also do know where the letter was sent from and what it contained. It was sent from Ironrath. And it contained all of Ironrath's troop counts, positions and the fact that most of the Forrester army was South, fighting at the Twins."

Anna was taken aback, only a handful of people knew that a large portion of the Forrester army had marched South to the Twins. They had disguised their troops as Stark soldiers and had marched with them as there had been many spies hidden in the area and Ashun Forrester, Anna's uncle, and Ironrath's battle commander, wanted to be completely certain that no one knew of their troop movements so that they could surprise their Southern enemies with a larger force later.

Magus looked straight into Anna's wide eyes. "You have a traitor at Ironrath, m’lady."

 

*  *  *  *  *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that I took a while for this chapter, but life happened and I had some personal things to attend to. The next chapters should be up faster than this. Thank you so much for being patient!


	4. Separate Ways

Anna had to sit down so that she could take all this information in. She still couldn't believe what she was hearing. First, they tell her Archus Snow is not only a changed man but that he also has a son who is a greenseer, and then they accuse someone from Ironrath of being a traitor. She wanted none of this to be true but the fact that Magus knew about the Forrester troops near the Twins was proof enough that someone had been leaking secrets outside of Ironrath. She looked at Arthur's earnest eyes and knew that all of this had to be the truth.

Sighing she looked down at the floor trying to think quietly to herself, sorting through everything that had been told to her over the past few minutes. " _Who would possibly betray_   _us?_ " she pondered, " _We_ _are one big family -_ " and that was when she stopped short with wide eyes. Something had just clicked inside her head and she was sure there was no other way to explain it.

" _Family._ " She thought again. " _There were only two people who knew about the troop positions. One of them was Uncle Ashun who was down South, near the Twins, with the army and had no reason to give away their position lest enemy troops came knocking at Ironrath's door. The only other person who knew about the battle plans was Uncle_ _Ruben. Could he be the traitor? Would my own uncle betray me?_ " She couldn't even begin to imagine that. Her eyes darted up to meet Ruben's who was already looking at her with a sad smile on his face.

"M'lady. My niece. Why do you look at me so? Do you honestly think that I would betray you and your brother?" he asked softly, his smile wavering ever so slightly. He stood feet away from Anna, near the head of the table, yet she could feel the fear emanating from him. Fear of imprisonment or fear of getting caught, Anna wasn't sure of. But she was sure that she had no other choice than to make this decision, regardless of how it made her feel.

She slowly stood up as she replied, "You are the only one at Ironrath who knew about the battle plans, Uncle. How else did that information leak and end up on that message?" She paused and turned to face Ruben, her expression hard and stern. "I do not want to believe this, but I have no choice. I will have to imprison you, till this matter is dealt with." she maintained eye contact and added, "Please forgive me, Uncle."

Ruben looked back into her eyes for a while longer before closing them and sighing softly to himself, "You always were the cautious one, Anna. Very well. If this what you have decided, then, by all means, go ahead. The truth will come out eventually." He looked down defeated, making Anna's heart hurt. However, she had made a decision and she had to stick to it or else risk losing the respect of her men. She steeled herself before looking at the guards and nodding ever so slightly. They closed in on Ruben, who stood still with his hands in the air, waiting for them to be secured by the guards. After his hands were bound behind him, the guards grasped his shoulder and led him away from the room towards his cell where he would be confined till all other matters had been sorted out.

Anna watched him go quietly, her heart in her mouth. She knew he couldn't have been the traitor, but all the evidence pointed towards him and she had to make a decision quickly before she could move on to the main issue at the hand regarding the Hornwoods.

Turning to Magus and Arthur she said, "We need to march to Hornwood to meet your father, Arthur. You say he still has the messenger held captive?"

Arthur glanced at Magus and then nodded, "Aye, Lady Anna, my father told me he would keep him a prisoner till you had the chance to speak with him."

Anna nodded and continued, "Very well. I shall meet him and question him myself. On our way to the Hornwood, we can stop by Winterfell to gather more men, because once we speak to the messenger and learn the truth about this whole debacle, we leave Hornwood, march straight to our enemies and slaughter them before Arthur's dreams become a reality."

 

*****

 

Unbeknownst to Anna and all the men present in the central hall of Ironrath's keep, Rhaenys had made her way out into the hallway. The guards had learned never to stop her during her meanderings through the halls of Ironrath and Rhaenys always made full use of this freedom, hunting down small critters that she could take back to her room and eat at peace. However, this time things were different. She had not left the room because she was bored, but rather because she had picked up a rather familiar scent.

It was a scent that she had not experienced since she was a pup and it brought feelings of happiness and sorrow to her being. She needed to know for certain if it truly belonged to who she thought it belonged to. And so she had followed the scent outside the keep. Flitting in and out of the direct sunlight, to avoid scaring the citizens of Ironrath, she followed the familiar feeling, her snout close to the ground as she tried to pick it up through the myriad of sensations filling the marketplace. Finally, after a few minutes of searching, she found the right direction and slowly but steadily made her way towards it. She struggled to move without overturning pots or causing people to trip over her large tail, but she made good progress through the packed streets, even scaring a few children as she did so. It led her right to the walls of the city which she navigated around by sneaking out of the gates while the guards weren't looking. As long as she stuck to the shadows, it was almost impossible to spot her while she was sneaking and Rhaenys knew that better than most. Finally, after a few more minutes of searching, she found herself inside the Wolfswood.

The shadows formed by the canopy of Ironwood leaves and branches above her, formed beautiful patterns as the patches of light filtering through them landed on and around her, filling the dark woods with some amount of brightness. Rhaenys however, did not need the light, and her snout was already on the floor, searching for the scent with all of her focus. She found the general direction and bounded towards it, being as quiet as possible, just in case. 

As she neared the scent, she started moving more stealthily to avoid detection, almost completely disappearing into the shadows of the tall trees. It was getting dark, and her black fur helped her to blend with her surroundings, her bright green eyes almost matching the shades reflected off the leaves under the canopy. As she approached the sound of a large group of people began to get louder, a cacophony of noise that filled her ears and drowned out almost everything else around her. She held herself low to avoid detection and crested a slope to get a better view of what was causing such a loud noise.

She saw a large group of men, some dressed in armor and others in leather garb. The men seemed to be marching along with five cages filled with what looked like prisoners. They marched softly but to Rhaenys' senses, it felt like the ground was shuddering. She watched them closely, wondering if her sense of smell had failed her as she couldn't see where the familiar scent was coming from. And that was when she saw her.

In the second to last cart, laying still but alive on the floor, was a large direwolf with grey fur. Rhaenys whined softly, as she could recognize that torn right ear anywhere. It was her mother.

Rhaenys had to go to her, she had to feel her again. It had been too long since she had felt her touch and in this moment she wanted nothing more than to be with her again. She cautiously moved down the slope and positioned herself at a distance from the five carriages. Once she did, she made sure they were still in her field of vision, and followed the group from a distance, with only the thought of reuniting with her mother on her mind.

Thus fate had played its cruel hand and separated Rhaenys from Anna and the rest.


	5. Calm Before The Storm

The sun had already risen by the time Anna woke from her deep slumber, bathing her face in a warm golden glow through her open window. She stretched her back as she got up from the bed that she had slept in as a little girl. It was still as soft as she could remember and she wished she could have spent the rest of the day in it. After all, it had been so long since she had been here. Nostalgia began to grip her and she put out her hand to find the comfort of Rhaenys' fur, but she met empty air. She looked around confused, her tired eyes searching for some indication that her direwolf had returned. But there was none. She sighed quietly and scratched her head ruffling her messy silver hair further wondering where she had gone. Deep down a small portion of her began to worry, as it always did when Rhaenys vanished from her side. However, her faithful friend had always returned to her eventually, even if it was after a few days at times. She shook her head and pushed her worrisome thoughts down so that she could deal with the more immediate problem with that. "I just hope you are safe, Rhaenys," she muttered to herself before stretching one more time and standing up, her nightgown falling till her ankles. Looking back at her bed one more time she walked away so she could clean herself before preparing for what she assumed would be a tiresome day. She had much work to do.

An hour later Anna walked out of her room wearing her leather armor with her bow and quiver strapped to her back. Her regular armor was tied to either side of her house as she did not want to wear it down too much before they reached their main destination. She adjusted the scabbard on her belt which held her father's sword, the new weight making her feel a little different but complete. It almost felt like her father was ready to march alongside her and that thought made her smile a bit. She brushed her long silver hair back away from her face and tied it behind her, ignoring the few strands that had fallen back over her face. She was as ready as she would ever be, despite Rhaenys not being with her.

Taking a deep breath she took the turn into the hallway facing the doors of the keep where some of the captains of the Forrester army muttered amongst themselves as they waited for her. Most of them had donned their armor, with the large Ironwood tree emblazoned over their breastplates, while some stood in their chainmail discussing the mission ahead of them. As Anna approached them, silence fell immediately as all eyes turned to her. Feeling suddenly self-conscious she squared her shoulders and walked ahead towards the door of the keep, beckoning at the men to follow her. Without breaking her stride she passed through the open doorway, nodding at a few of the captains with a smile on her face before facing the crowd that awaited them at the bottom of the steps to the keep. The citizens of Ironrath had all assembled at the base of the steps, most of them with worried expressions on their faces, at the sight of Anna and the captains of the Forrester army dressed in armor and chainmail walking down towards them.

"What is going on, Lady Anna?"

"Are we at war?"

"Where are you going, M'lady?"

"You just arrived yesterday, Lady Anna!"

Many voices began to throw worried statements and questions at her which she tried to answer tactfully with very curt and direct responses. She didn't want to spread fear amongst the people and she wanted them to know that she was leaving so that they could fix a problem that would be an issue for them later, if left unsolved. Some of the common folk seemed happy with her responses while others seemed more confused, but there was nothing Anna could do. "They will understand once we solve the issue." she thought to herself so that she would stay calm.

Continuing to answer questions as she walked past the crowd, Anna managed to quieten them to some extent, before she finally made it to the gates, still feeling a bit flustered from the barrage of questions and worried faces. She nodded at the guards standing at the gates and passed through to find Magus and Arthur waiting for her on the brown horse that she had given to them for this journey. They stood behind a large force of about three hundred troops that Anna had requested her captains to arrange. She approached them waving her hand at Arthur who was sitting in front of Magus, a sour expression on his face and his hands tightly clenching the reins. His face lit up slightly at the sight of Anna approaching them and he waved back.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked him as she neared them. Arthur nodded, "Yes, m' lady. I'm just anxious to get back home soon."

Magus snorted, "He is annoyed that he didn't get a horse for himself."

Anna laughed softly, "It's safer this way Arthur. But you don't have to worry, it won't take as long as you did since we are on horses. Besides, we are being accompanied by almost a thousand men. No one would even try to attack us."

Arthur nodded and grinned, while Magus added, "I wish we had more men, just in case."

Anna raised an eyebrow as she walked over to her white stallion that stood awaiting her in front of the Hornwoods. "I agree that we might be facing a larger force, but I am sure Uncle Ashun already has his hands full with what was happening at the Twins. We can't afford to bring more soldiers with us without leaving Ironrath completely undefended."

She mounted her horse and placed her bow on a small slot on her saddle in front of her, holding it in place. She turned back to adjust her armor that was wrapped in a cloth behind her, checking that it was tied down properly, "I have appointed an interim Lady, Maege Whitehill, to take care of Ironrath while I am gone, but I hope that won't be for too long."

Anna could trust no one else to sit at her seat while she was gone, Maege was her cousin and had always proven a knack for courtroom dealings. Since she was young at just twenty-four years of age, Anna hoped that she wouldn't buckle under the pressure, after all, there was no one else who was better suited for the job in her mind. Despite all the precautions that were taken to protect Ironrath, Anna still felt an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach but blamed that on the meat that she had had for breakfast.

Magus thought for a while and nodded, "I was just being cautious, m'lady."

"And it is appreciated, Magus. Also, I have sent a raven ahead of us earlier in the morning to my husband, telling him that we are stopping at Winterfell on the way. Brandon is offering a few of the Stark troops to help us."

Arthur smiled, "That's great news, m'lady." He looked around behind her, "Where is your direwolf? I don't see her."

Anna shook her head, "I don't know, Arthur. She had disappeared for days before, but I am sure she will make her way back home as she always does. I told the guards to keep her inside the city when she eventually did. She will be fine."

 

*****

 

Rhaenys continued to follow the group of men as they made their way through the Wolfswood. She had been tailing them since the previous day, keeping out of sight by using her black fur and hiding in the shadows of the thick canopy formed by the tall, thick trees. These men seemed to be firmly set on their task as they didn't even stop to sleep during the night, nor take too many breaks. The fact that her mother was one of the prisoners was the main reason why she still wasn't feeling tired despite only feeding on small mice and rabbits that were scurrying about along the forest floor. However, after a few more hours of walking, the density of trees started to reduce since they were nearing the edge of the Wolfswood. Rhaenys not understanding any of this, just followed quietly waiting for the right opportunity to intervene and free her mother.

Once they reached the edge of the woods, the men finally decided to take a short break. Rhaenys stopped under the shadow of a tree and watched as they set up camp quickly and began to light a fire to cook a meal. She waited for a moment when they would leave the prisoners alone, but that moment never came. Even though the prisoners were locked inside their cages, the soldiers still kept an eye on them, refusing to leave them to their own machinations. Most of the prisoners were silent and were not even bothering to try and escape, but the man in the cage next to Rhaenys' mother was the complete opposite.

He was far less quiet and was yelling at the guards to let him out, shaking his fists in the air trying to threaten and intimidate the guards. If Rhaenys could understand what he was saying she would have laughed at the number of obscenities spewing from the man's mouth. Rhaenys watched him with her green eyes, taking in his description with all the observations and attentiveness of a direwolf.

The man was thin and tall with very pale white skin, his short brown hair blowing in the breeze, interlaced with many strands of white. He was about Edric's age and had his fist balled, waving it at the men angrily while they just sat there laughing at him. Some of them threw a handful of mud at him trying to get him to shut up. The man ducked for cover but did not stop yelling at his captors. Rhaenys watched him closely, her green eyes watching his pink ones, which even from this distance was brimming with energy.

Rhaenys lay down and placed her head on her forelimbs, her eyes still fixed on the camp before her. A few minutes later the pale prisoner stopped yelling after he had run out of stamina and was now lying down in his cage, looking spent.

Just then, a new scent hit Rhaenys. She lifted her snout a little and took in the aroma again.

It smelt of lavender and home.

It was from Anna. She was near.

Distracted by the scent of her best friend, Rhaenys stood up suddenly, to pinpoint the source of the scent, causing the dead leaves she was sitting on to rustle from her shifting weight. Her eyes darted back towards the camp where most of the men had stood up and were looking towards her general direction. Some of them had picked up their weapons and were slowly approaching her. Rhaenys ducked back down into the shadows and watched them quietly as they made their way towards where she hid.

 

*****

 

It took them a day's march to reach the Hunter's Gate, where they were met by Anna's husband, Brandon Stark. Anna smiled broadly as they neared them, spent from the march and glad they had reached Winterfell before they were too exhausted to march any further. Brandon walked up to her horse and helped Anna get off before wrapping her up in a deep hug. "I was so worried" he whispered into her ear as he held her close.

Anna smiled and kissed his cheek, "I am here now, my love."

Brandon pulled out of the hug and held her at arm's length, examining her face with a concerned expression, "Tell me what has happened. I can still sense the worry in you."

Anna sighed tiredly and recounted everything that had happened the past few days as they watched troops setting up camps outside the walls of Winterfell so that they could rest their weary bodies. Brandon's concern was evident on his face despite how he listened quietly without saying anything. Finally, after she was done he asked, "Who can we trust now?"

"I wish I knew. The only people I can trust for certain are Uncle Ashun, you and Maege."

She watched Arthur helping Magus remove parts of his armor, his enthusiasm evident on his face. She smiled and added, "I am still uncertain about Magus and Arthur. Deep down I want to trust the boy, but his connection to _that man_ is tainting my view on him." 

Brandon rubbed her shoulder affectionately, "Anna, I know how you feel about Lord Hornwood, but that boy walked all the way to Ironrath to meet and help you. Maybe you should at least give him the benefit of the doubt. He's earned it."

Anna thought for a while and nodded, "You make a fair point, Brandon. As you always do." She added, kissing his cheek again and placing her head on his shoulder. "Everything will be fine, Anna. We just need to be careful." Brandon whispered.

She nodded and then said, "I don't want you to come with me to Hornwood."

Brandon stepped back, surprised, "But why? You need as many men as you can! And something that affects you should be my responsibility as well. At least to be there to support you."

Anna smiled and shook her head, "I will be fine, Brandon. You know better than anyone why I can't ask you to come with me. It is not just for the kids. My uncle, Ashun, is busy trying to keep the Southern forces at bay, and I have heard nothing from him for a while. That makes me worry." She turned to look at Arthur watching a few soldiers practicing their sword stances before continuing, "I need you here to make sure the North is safe. We need to be ready for anything."

She turned back to look into his dark eyes, "Don't worry about me, my love. Worry about the North."

Brandon held her gaze for a few seconds before sighing, "Very well. Whatever you say, Anna. Just know that I'll be by your side if you need me."

"I know" she said with a smile, leaning forward to kiss him. They held the intimate moment for a few minutes savoring the taste before Anna broke apart saying, "Now where are the men you promised me?"

Brandon laughed softly, "Ever the impatient one. Wait here, while I call them out, m'lady"

He smirked before turning to the Hunter's Gate and letting out a long whistle. The gate slowly opened one more time and through them marched a large force of Winterfell soldiers, their banners flapping wildly in the wind with the direwolf of House Stark.

Anna watched them march out the gate, a wide grin on her face. The troops behind her all stopped what they were doing and began to cheer as the Stark troops all assembled outside the walls, standing proud and strong. Brandon took Anna's hand and walked her through the troops to the front of the formation where the Stark captain, Ser Jorhen, stood inspecting them. He looked up at them and smiled before saluting his Lord and Lady, "Greetings m'lord. Is this all the men that you wanted?" He smiled and bowed at Anna, his shoulder-length auburn hair falling over his face as he did so.

"Indeed it is, Jorhen," Brandon responded with a nod of approval at the men. "What do you think, Anna? Will seven hundred men be enough?" he asked looking at her with a smile.

Anna's heart raced at the sight of that smile, as it always had, ever since they were kids, and she nodded, "More than enough, my love."

In her mind, however, she thought, " _Will it though? We have no idea what or who we are about to face."_

Pulling Brandon into a hug and kissed him farewell before turning around to go talk to the Forrester troops and introduce Jorhen to her captains.

Meanwhile, as Anna was meeting with her captains, she looked around and for the first time, noticed most of her elite troops, in their black armor, standing off to one side and surveying the whole thing without so much as a hint of relaxation. " _Ashun trained them to always be alert, I suppose_." she thought to herself, knocking her head with her palm for being too paranoid. However, despite her efforts, she was still having an unpleasant feeling about the whole charade. Something just wasn't right.

 

*****

 


	6. The Upright Direwolf

Rhaenys' mother opened her eyes slowly but was still too weak to move. Her senses were dulled too, or else she would have smelled her pup watching them from a distance. The commotion around her had stirred her awake and she slowly moved her head to look at what was happening.

Through her groggy eyes, she saw that the men were on their feet, most with their weapons drawn, and they were facing something in the direction away from her. She tried to open her eyes further so she could see what they were looking at, but all she could make out was a small black figure crouching low beside a tree. She tried using her sense of smell but she was too drowsy to do anything and so she continued to lie down watching the events unfold before her.

The men called out again, "There are about twenty of us here, so you might as well give yourself up! I ask again, who is there?"

The black figure stayed crouched but was slowly trying to back away out of its hiding spot, making no sound at all. The fog was slowly starting to lift from her senses and the old direwolf noticed that there was a man behind the black figure, returning from having left to relieve himself earlier. The man lunged towards the figure and now she could see clearly that it was another direwolf with black fur and green eyes.

The black wolf had sensed the man behind her and instinctively jumped on to him, tearing his neck open with fangs, blood spraying everywhere and landing on the direwolf's black fur as well. For some reason, the wolf seemed extremely familiar to the older direwolf but her foggy senses just could not make the connection yet. The human word ' _daughter_ ' kept floating into her mind like a breeze of fresh air every time she looked at the black figure, but it made no sense to her other than making her feel a little warm.

The man collapsed in front of the black wolf, blood still spurting from the remains of his neck. The men in the camp stared with their mouths open at what they had just witnessed till one of the men gained enough courage to scream and charge forward, his sword drawn. The others followed suit and began to charge at the lone wolf who immediately turned around and began to run in the opposite direction, seeing that there were too many men to take on at once. Unfortunately, the wolf ran right into one of the traps that the men had set earlier to catch prey and was hoisted up in the air, inside a net.

The black wolf struggled inside the trap as the men reached her side their blades still drawn. The older direwolf's torn right ear twitched as she tried to listen to more sounds, but all she could hear were the men whispering to each other as they stood before the trapped wolf. Finally, after much discussion, one of the men reached forward and knocked the wolf out with the hilt of his sword, making it go immediately limp, sagging the net with its weight. That made the older direwolf growl but she was still too tired to do anything.

She watched as the men waited to check whether the wolf was still unconscious and then brought down the net, dragging it back to the camp, before throwing the wolf into one of the empty carts beside her.

The fog was slowly lifting from the older direwolf's senses and now that the black wolf was a lot closer, she was able to grasp its scent. Her eyes widened as she sniffed again. It was her pup! Now that she was close enough, she recognized her scent almost instantly. She tried her best to stand up and move closer to the adjacent cage but her muscles were still too weak to move, so she lay back, whining softly to herself. Seeing her child now, after all these years, both gladdened and horrified her, because of the dangerous circumstances that had brought them back together again.

The men soon prepared to begin marching once more, laughing and talking as they excitedly discussed the spoils of the past few weeks. The older direwolf listened and watched them for a while before the fog slowly pulled her down once again into the deep waters of slumber.

 

 

*****

 

 

It was past noon when they finally arrived at the gates of Hornwood, its large walls marking its presence on the edge of the Hornwood Forest. Arthur was so glad he had actually completed his task of delivering the news to Lady Anna and made it back home in one piece. It had been terrifying for him to leave his house and march all the way to Ironrath, especially since he had never left the walls of Hornwood before. He was sure his father would be glad as well, glad that his son had finally come out of his shell and done something responsible for once in his life. Arthur's smile slowly died down as he remembered that this was just a small part of his mission, and now that the doors were open, all sorts of events and possibilities could take place from here on out. It all came down to his ability to protect Lady Anna and House Forrester from whatever threat they are fated to face, for he was the one who had the power to help them and help he shall. He always would do anything to help as many people as he could, after all, he did not know how much time he had left and he wanted to make full use of it.

Magus led their horse forward, ahead of Anna's as they neared the gate, so that they could announce themselves to the guards. Hornwood's security had always been cautious ever since Archus had become the Lord and Arthur couldn't help but think that it was his father's own paranoia that was guiding it. As they trotted ahead of Anna, Arthur turned back to look at her and was met with an expression so blank but tortured that he feared she would split right down the middle. Anna and the rest of the troops fell back as they stopped, letting Magus and the rest of the eight Hornwood soldiers, that had accompanied them to Ironrath, ride forward towards the gate. Arthur turned ahead, his heart sinking a bit as he wondered how she would react if she saw his father in the flesh, before her. It had been only a week since he had known her, but he had grown to like and trust her, and that was why it worried him even more.

"Righteous in wrath, the forest moves forth into senescence," Magus announced the secret code to the guards who were stationed on the watchtowers on either side of the gate. The guards nodded and called out behind them to open the gate revealing the city within. Arthur loved the sound of hearing the gate opening because he used to imagine himself leaving the city, but now after seeing Lady Anna's expression, he was fearful and worried of what was to come. The horse he shared with Magus whinnied softly, while the portcullis was being raised before trotting into the city followed closely by Lady Anna's horse and her ten elite soldiers.

They passed by many houses and small stores on the straight street that led directly to the keep, but for some reason, most of the citizens had opted to stay indoors, even though the sun was far from setting. However, Arthur could see that almost every single window had faces of people watching them go by, most of them hiding behind the curtains. Arthur had never seen the streets so empty and he wondered why there were so scared of their visitors. "Why is everyone hiding, Uncle?" he asked Magus in a soft voice.

Magus grunted, "Because they know that Lady Anna is here. And they worry that things will go the wrong way."

"But how did they know that we were coming?"

"I sent a raven ahead, while we were camped at Winterfell," Magus explained. "You were a bit too busy watching the soldiers training," he added with a hint of amusement in his voice.

Arthur was about to respond but instead sat back quietly when he saw a familiar figure awaiting them at the entrance of the keep. The man wore a long green cloak that covered his entire body and even trailed a bit across the floor. His grey hair was tied behind his head while his beard was neatly trimmed making him look like a wizened sorcerer in Arthur's eyes. Archus Hornwood, formerly Snow, stood with his arms outstretched in a welcoming fashion, flanked by about five guards on either side. Magus scoffed at his half brother, "Standing in that welcoming way while being surrounded by guards. How typical of Archus."

The street ended onto a cobblestone surface that surrounded the outside of the keep, decorated with a few solitary trees whose roots were visible as bulges under the ground. Arthur had always hated how they looked and had told unsuccessfully told his father several times to find a way to fix it since many kids had tripped and hurt themselves on the rough pavement. He looked up as his father approached their group, a pleasant smile on his face. Just then Lady Anna's horse stopped beside them, pawing the ground uncomfortably as it saw the cobblestones ahead. She sat still on her steed, and to Arthur's surprise, her face was still completely blank and expressionless.

 

*****

 

Their journey here had not been uneventful.

The previous night, they had decided to rest their weary horses a short while after crossing the White Knife. Getting the horses across had been an arduous task and most of the troops and captains had begun asking for time to rest, so Anna finally agreed and decided to make camp for the night. Arthur could tell that she just wanted to get this meeting with his father done with as soon as possible, and he felt a little sorry for her and fearful for his father. He looked over at Magus to ask him what he thought of the whole situation ahead, but to his surprise he was already fast asleep, using his cloak as a pillow under his head.

Arthur sighed and looked down at his makeshift pillow of leaves realizing how feeble it was, falling apart every time he placed his head on it. So he took his cloak off and folded it before lying down and testing it. To his surprise, it was much softer and a lot more comfortable for his neck. He let out a satisfied breath as he covered himself with the thin cloth, that he had for a blanket, and pulled himself closer into a fetal position. " _Thank the Gods for Northern cloaks,"_ he muttered to himself before passing out, his tired mind and body breathing a sigh of relief.

However, this was not to be as refreshing a slumber as he had hoped. At first, there was nothing, just an infinite darkness. He could see, hear and taste the emptiness but there was something unsettling about it. But before he could get used to it, his dream began:

_He was floating seven feet above a field of troops that were standing in formation, stretching as far as the eye could see. The air around the area was so dusty that Arthur was surprised he wasn't coughing his lungs out. The men all stood in rows and they seemed to be looking at something that was happening in an empty circle that was in the center of the formation. Arthur moved forward a little to try to see what they were looking at and he saw two men locked in a duel in what did not seem like a regular spar. It was real, brutal combat; to the death. One of the men was younger than the other and wielded a hand-and-a-half sword that gleamed with a bluish aura in the bright sunlight. The younger man brought his sword down in a downward slash and was met with an upward parry by the older man. Just as their blades met, Arthur heard a loud howl that sounded like that of a direwolf. It seemed to be coming from everywhere, yet nowhere at the same time. He listened to it closely to pinpoint its location, but to no avail. He couldn't even tell if the howl was mournful or a cry for help._

_Suddenly the howls stopped and there was silence once more, only broken by the sound of rhythmic pounding, like a large group of people were stomping the ground at once. As Arthur looked around, all the troops below him disappeared, along with the two men fighting. The empty plain was then replaced by the keep of Hornwood where he saw his father kneeling to an unseen figure, who raised a sword above his father's head, ready to knight him. Arthur noticed something on the cobblestone floor below him and when he looked down he recognized Anna's direwolf pendant. He bent down to pick it up and as he did the surroundings changed again._

_He found himself in a snowy landscape with a small forest behind him that was almost bare since most of the trees had shed their leaves. He held the direwolf pendant tightly in his hand as he surveyed the surroundings and saw a stronghold rising from the middle of the snowy plain. The stronghold looked like it had three platforms atop which a different portion of the structure was built on each giving the impression of having layers. In the distance, Arthur was sure he could see the silhouette of the Wall, though he wasn't sure as he had never seen it before. He couldn't marvel at the sight for long, because from the lowest platform of the stronghold ran two small figures making their way towards the forest's tree line as if they were being chased. Arthur could tell they were direwolves but it wasn't the speed at which they ran that frightened and shocked him. It was the fact that one of the direwolves was running upright, on its hind legs._

_Just then the direwolf stopped, still standing on its hind legs as it sniffed the air, its grey fur moving in time with a breeze that Arthur could not feel. He was about fifty feet from it but he could still hear its deep breathing and low growls as it tracked whatever it had sensed. That was when the direwolf stopped sniffing and turned its head to look directly at him. Arthur felt his heart jump into his mouth as he watched the direwolf turn in his direction and begin walking towards him. He knew he could never outrun it, especially in all this snow around them, but he tried backing away slowly. The direwolf paused and let out a blood-curdling scream, like that of a person being tortured, and ran at full speed towards him, its forelimbs clawing the air as it maintained balance on its hind legs in the snow._

That was the last thing he had seen before he woke up with blood flowing freely from his nostrils, like tiny rivulets showing him the toll his body was taking every time he had these visions. He took the extra cloth, he kept in his pocket to stifle the bleeding, and held it to his nose, his mind still orienting to the world around. It still amazed him how real the visions felt and it always took him a few minutes to focus his mind again after waking up, depending on the intensity of the visions.

He looked down at the cloth noting how much blood was being absorbed by the material. This was much more than usual but he wasn't surprised, especially since his heart was still pounding violently in his chest. He shuddered just thinking of the monstrosity he had seen in the last portion of the vision. " _A direwolf on two legs? What could that possibly mean?_ " he thought to himself, his heart gradually slowing down as he took deep breaths to calm himself. Once he was calm enough, he stood up to check if he was going to faint, glancing at Magus who was still fast asleep. Once he was certain he wasn't going to fall over, he turned around and ran over to where Lady Anna lay.

Her tent was not that far off from where Arthur and Magus had been sleeping but getting there had been a challenge, owing to the many loose weapons and belongings that were all over the ground. Finally reaching her tent, he was just about to barge in when someone appeared behind him and clamped his mouth shut, the other hand on Arthur's arm, holding him back from the tent. He began to struggle against the strong grip but the man held him tighter and said in a low voice, "Calm down boy. Where do you think you're going?"

Arthur stopped struggling since he recognized the voice immediately as belonging to the captain of the Stark troops, Jorhen. In a muffled voice he replied with all the strength he could muster, "I wish to speak to Lady Anna at once. It is an emergency!"

Jorhen was about to respond, when Lady Anna's voice rang out softly from inside the tent, "Jorhen, let the boy enter. I was not asleep yet."

The captain stepped aside releasing his grip on Arthur. The boy massaged his forearm and gave Jorhen an annoyed look before walking ahead and entering Anna's tent slowly. The tent was a small makeshift one but it was tall enough for him to stand in freely, and it had a very pleasant smell of pine. Off to one side, the Lady was sitting cross-legged on the floor, with a small book in her hand on which she was sketching with a piece of charcoal. Her silver hair fell over her shoulder to one side casting a light shadow on her face from a candle that lit the entire tent. Arthur could not make out what the drawing was from where he stood, but he made a mental note to ask her about it later. As he walked in towards her, she looked up at his face and frowned with concern, seeing his haggard appearance. "What is it, Arthur? Did you have another vision?" she asked in a soft but steady voice.

Arthur walked up quickly and knelt in front of her, nodding. Anna's demeanor immediately changed to that of concern as she closed the book and kept it in her lap. She turned to face him and said, "Tell me. What did you see?"

Arthur took a deep breath and began to recite everything he had seen from the two men fighting, to the monstrosity outside the stronghold. She sat and listened with a thoughtful expression on her face, not saying anything. Once he had finished, he unfolded his knees and sat down on the floor wondering what her response would be to all of this, but all she did was look down at the closed book in her lap. He could practically hear her mind churning as she processed all the information he had told her and so he waited patiently. Finally, after a small moment of awkward tension, she looked up, with an uncertain face and said, "Thank you for telling me all of this Arthur. However, I will not act like I understand any of what you see, for it is not my place to do so. Nevertheless, I would advise you to remember everything that you have _seen_  ever since you have been sent on this mission. We never know when it might be useful in order to save someone's life." She opened her book and wrote down a few lines using the charcoal. Then she added, "I want you to tell me everything you see, every time you have another vision. We shall take notes of it so that we can study them later. Is that okay with you?" She asked him, one of her eyebrows raised ever so slightly.

Arthur smiled and nodded his head, bouncing to his feet. This was exactly the kind of response he had hoped he would get from her, the response he never got from anyone else. She understood him, and that's all that mattered to him. He felt so much better knowing that now he had someone to share all of his dreams with. Someone who did not judge him or push him away in fear or loathing. Someone who would do what was right when the time came for it.

He bowed deeply and took his leave, noticing a small trusting smile on her face as he walked out of the tent slowly. The minute he closed the tent entrance, he ran back to his makeshift bed and lay his satisfied head on his pillow, feeling like a weight had been lifted off his chest. The upright direwolf still scared him but now that he had someone with whom he could talk with about his visions, he no longer felt alone. 

As his thoughts came back to the present, he watched Lady Anna dismount from her horse and approach his father. Arthur hoped that she would make the right decisions and would put aside all their differences until the present situation was dealt with. However, he still felt scared because a small part of him wasn't sure if she would.

*****

 

The last time she had seen both her pups, was further north when they had been attacked by a large wolf, years back. She had managed to stand her ground against the unusually large wolf but got separated from her pups in the process. Limping and wounded she had somehow managed to lead the bigger wolf into a trap that allowed her to escape with her life. After that, she couldn't even try to find them owing to how much she had been wounded and it took many days for her to finally gain the strength to begin her search. Unfortunately, she never found them. Until now.

By the time the fog on her consciousness had begun to lift again, the troops were marching through an area that was covered in snow. She could not make out which cage her pup was in but as she sluggishly looked around she saw a large structure rising up from the middle of the snowy plain. The structure comprised of multiple platforms within which lay smaller buildings and courtyards. It was a beautiful sight, standing tall and clear under the rising sun, but to her it was just another building for humans.

As the men entered the stronghold, they passed through the entrance, which was flanked by two large banners that flapped in the cold northern wind. The banners showed two manacles crossing each other over a red field, the mark of House Umber flying strong at the Last Hearth.

 

*  *  *  *  *


	7. What Was & What Is

_“Anna, wake up and find your brother. I want you two to stay near your mother so that you can protect her," said Lord Rodrik Forrester, running a hand through her silver hair as he smiled softly. "I love you," he added softly, kissing her forehead before grabbing his sword and leather armor and leaving the tent in haste. Anna watched him leave, her face still a landscape of worry as she watched him exit into the gloom outside. She had no idea what was happening but she knew she had to listen to her father's orders and make sure her mother, Lyla, was safe. Without hesitation, she_ _made her way to the back of the tent where there was a small gap in the cloth, that Edric used to sneak in and out to watch the soldiers duel._

_The rain fell hard and fast outside, seeping through the canopy formed by the tops of the Wolfswood trees, and creating a thunderous sound that made everything else difficult to hear. Many large drops of water landed on her head as she stuck her head out of the red fabric to peek and check if the coast was clear. All she could see was the dark surroundings of the clearing that they had decided to camp in for the night. The trees were barely visible and it was only because of the light from the covered lanterns bordering the clearing, that she was able to look around. They cast a dusky glow all around the poles they were erected on, and she could make out no figures moving around near them._

_Anna tied her silver hair back behind her and slowly stepped out of the gap in the tent, her feet meeting the soft ground that made up the floor of the clearing, most of which was muddy from the rain. The sound helped to hide her footsteps as she quickly made her way to the blue tent, where her mother and Edric would be. Anna always loved staying up at night with her brother reading stories and texts from books that their Maester had given them while they traveled, so she was still annoyed that her mother had traded places with her after an argument with Lord Rodrik. She pushed that thought out of her mind as she neared their tent and slowly muttered to herself, "_ Get a grip, Anna. We need to focus on protecting each other now. _"_

_Looking up, she could see it about two tents away and to her surprise, it was completely unguarded. Her brow furrowed in worry but she continued her approach making sure she was making as little sound as possible. She wasn't as good as her brother at moving around stealthily but she had been training a lot and hopefully, it had made a difference. Fortunately, she managed to reach the blue tent, and carefully made her way to the back, where a small gap that Edric had made with his knife, was. Looking around to make sure no one was around, she approached the gap and entered it slowly, keeping her eyes fixed on the inside of the tent._

_At first, she could see nothing, nor hear any sound from within the tent, and the only light was coming from the closed entrance, the only sound from the raindrops against the fabric. The breeze outside blew the flaps over the entrance making the shadows within the tent sway, but as Anna's eyes slowly got accustomed to the darkness she began to see silhouettes framing the corners of her eyes. She glanced to both sides and tensed when she realized that the silhouettes were formed by sections of the drapes, forming the interior walls of the tent, hanging down. She inspected the fabric closer and in the low light, it looked like they had been cut by a blade of some sort. Dropping back down to a crouch, she moved further towards the center of the tent searching for the silhouettes of her brother and mother but the rest of the tent appeared empty save for the books and clothes that were strewn about as if there had been a scuffle._

_That was when she heard her brother shouting from outside._

_It was not a shout she was accustomed to and it sent her heart racing at how angry and scared it sounded. Edric had always been a calm and collected child even though he was ever so naughty, but she had never seen him lose his composure. She burst out of the tent, ignoring the stinging rain on her face, as she ran towards the incomprehensible shout that seemed to be repeating itself. She passed tent after tent some of which were on fire, as she ran in a low crouch not caring if she was stepping in muddy puddles or not, since the wet forest floor was absorbing most of the sound. As she got closer, she could make out that Edric was screaming "_ Iron from Ice _" with as much determination as he could. His voice was getting weaker but louder at the same time, as she changed her course straight to it. "_ Why is he shouting out our house words?" _she thought to herself, her pace quickening till she finally reached the edge of the clearing and stood there quietly, hiding behind the last of the tents so she could survey the situation before her._

_In the light of one of the lanterns that flanked the boundary of their camp, she saw Edric in front of a large tree, sword in hand, standing up to a group of about five men dressed in plain leather garb, and masks covering their faces. They bore no sign nor sigil that Anna could see but all of them stood with their swords drawn, some of them laughing and jeering at her brother. All around, Anna could hear the sounds of steel clashing against steel as their guards continued to fight the intruders, trying to make their way towards where Edric stood, cornered. Anna looked around for their father, but she could not see too far as some of the lights had been extinguished, plunging most of the camp into darkness, save for whatever moonlight was filtering down through the canopy._

_Edric called out the words of their house once more before stepping forward and raising the sword in front of him. It was a very large sword, that he had probably taken from one of the many bodies strewn around, and was clearly too large for a thirteen-year-old boy to handle. The men continued to approach him slowly and without hesitation, holding their weapons almost mockingly at the child before them. Anna noticed that her brother kept turning back and glancing at the tree behind him almost as if he was looking at something that lay at its roots. She strained her eyes to see if anything was there, but all she could make out was a woman lying against the trunk of the tree, motionless. Her eyes widened as she saw the silver hair cascading down the woman's shoulders, recognizing it instantly as the same shade as her own._

_"Mother!" she screamed as she ran forward, losing her composure and forgetting to grab a weapon as she did so. Her scream startled the men and they turned around to face them just as Edric swung the sword, missing one of the men's abdomen and cutting deep into the back of his thigh instead. The man howled in pain as he dropped to his knees and held his injured leg, his comrades shocked at what had just transpired. One of the men decided to face Edric and grabbed his arm, preventing him from retrieving the sword which had now fallen to the ground. The other man held his short sword out, threatening Anna who continued to charge him and showed no sign of slowing down. She intended to side step him at the last minute and throw him off balance but as she did, the man realized what she was trying to do and brought his arm down hitting her flat across the face with the back of his hand._

_Anna's world went spinning as she collapsed to the wet ground, her head hitting the soft mud hard and her split lip spilling rivulets of blood down her chin and jaw. She could feel the rain landing all over and around her like drumbeats, her senses still muddled from the slap, as she lay there looking at Edric and her mother. The man grabbing her brother's wrist had forced him to drop the sword and now he was defenseless, still trying to wriggle his arm away so he could attack. The other man tended to the injured one who lay on the ground with a makeshift tourniquet around his leg, staunching the bleeding._

_Suddenly, a scream of rage cut through the rain, startling the men and Edric. They turned around to look at something that was out of Anna's line of sight, something which startled them enough to make them ready their weapons. She hazily watched as Rodrik Forrester flew into the intruders, his sword cutting through the man that held Edric, with ease. The bluish pommel flashed in her eyes as it sliced through the neck of the second man separating his spine causing the blood to spurt out from the headless stump, staining Rodrik and the ground where they stood. Her father's armor and clothing were a tattered mess and he was cut in multiple places, some deeper than others, yet he maintained his form and stance just like the seasoned fighter that he was._

_He stopped and looked down at the third man who still lay on the ground clutching his leg in pain, his eyes wide and scared for his life. Rodrik stared at the man for a minute longer, assessing the threat before turning away, refusing to fight an enemy who could not defend themselves. Once he assessed that there was no one else nearby, he dropped his sword and rushed over to Edric, his face and right arm still drenched in blood. However just as he was about to pull his son close and embrace him, he stopped and gasped, a sound that would haunt Anna for the rest of her life. Looking down, he stared at the arrow that now protruded through his chest, its tip coated in blood._

_The rain almost seemed to fall harder, as he fell to his knees, arms still reaching out for Edric who was staring at his father in shock, unable to do anything. Rodrik took another sharp breath and_ _turned towards the direction from where the arrows were being fired, his face red with anger and fear, his eyes widening for an instant as if he recognized the person firing the arrows. "Archus!" he bellowed in anger, his hand grasping around the mud for his sword. However, before he could find it, a second arrow impaled his abdomen causing him to lurch and fall forward to support himself with his arms on the ground, his back forming an arch as he struggled to keep himself upright. Blood seeped from his wounds and dripped slowly onto the grass with each breath that Rodrik took as Edric fell to his knees crawling towards him on his hands and knees. Another arrow flew by but hit a tree behind them instead, splintering the wood. Rodrik took another long breath, his body shivering from the blood loss before he began to fall just as Edric reached him and slowly supported his body with his arms. Anna let out a wordless scream but not even all the will she had, could make her regain her consciousness as she slowly slipped away into nothingness, her eyes closing on the sight of her father motionless in Edric's lap, his life force having finally left him._

 

*****

 

She blinked her mind back to the present as she got off her horse, her eyes not leaving the man before them. Adjusting her leather garb, she walked towards her father's murderer, her face expressionless, her mind in turmoil. All she could hear in that moment was the sound of arrows flying by and striking her father, piercing his flesh and making him grunt in pain. Those sounds had traumatized her and kept her awake for most of her childhood, and was precisely the reason why she had vowed to become an expert archer when she grew up. All she had wanted to do was to convert this negative feeling to a positive one and maybe someday be able to face her demons without second-guessing herself.

However, no matter how much she had prepared for a possible moment like this, trying to approach Archus Hornwood without the intent of killing him was a herculean task. It took all her resolve not to whip her bow out and impale him with one of her arrows just like he had done to her father. The thought of that fateful night made her tighten her grip on the bow behind her as she tried her best to maintain composure, knuckles turning white with the pressure. She slowed down as she neared him and stood stock still with her eyes unblinking, her piercing gaze fixed on the man she hated more than anybody else in her life.

Archus took a step forward and bowed low, his green robe still trailing on the floor behind him. He held the pose for a minute before straightening back up, his arms still out on both sides in a welcoming gesture, a wide smile on his face. Anna cringed internally at the sight of his face but she kept quiet and maintained her gaze on Archus. He met her eyes and his smile faltered slightly forcing him to look away towards where Magus and Arthur sat on their horse behind her, before greeting them in a loud voice.

"I am honored to be receiving such esteemed guests! Much of the appreciation goes to my son, Arthur, and my brother, Magus for travelling all the way to Ironrath to help." he smiled wider and turned to Anna, his arms falling to his side as he bowed slightly before continuing, "Lady Anna, it is my great pleasure to make your acquaintance, though I wish it was not in such troubled times."

Straightening up, his smile fell to a solemn expression, "I know how much you must hate me for what I have done to you and your brother, but I want you to understand this. I was young and reckless then, hungry for power with a thirst for battle and the spoils of war. But now I am a changed man. I deeply regret all the things I have done then and wish to repent my sins by helping those I have wronged. Your house especially."

Anna clenched her fist and stood firmly, without saying a word, her eyes still fixed on Archus. He kept glancing at her nervously, clearly very uncomfortable with her silence and unsure of what to say or do next. After a moment, she finally took a deep breath and replied with the strong, clear voice of a Lady, "Lord Hornwood! Or should I call you Archus Snow? Does it really matter? For I do not see nor care to see any difference between the two. I wish my brother were here to listen to that pathetic apology of yours."

She scoffed, still maintaining an expressionless face and voice, her hawk-eyed vision watching beads of sweat flowing down the side of Archus' forehead. "You did not just wrong us or our house, you destroyed us and our lives. You made my brother and I fall to the depths of sorrow and down to the crypts of our solitude. We made it out alive only because we had each other." She reached up and held her direwolf pendant tightly as she continued, holding back her feelings. "Now it is I who needs you to understand something. No amount of apology or change can give us back what we have lost, nor take away what we have gained. Aye, for through hardship we have become stronger. Stronger than most, and certainly stronger than you. You who ran away after realizing my father was dead, rather than face the consequences of your actions like a man."

She looked up at the banner bearing the moose sigil of House Hornwood that flew in front of the keep, fluttering in the breeze. "You are a lucky man in some manner of speaking, Archus. You are honestly fortunate that you were a bastard on the run when that incident happened and you are even more fortunate Edric isn't here with me right now. I doubt he would be as forgiving as I am. You were also fortunate that we did not receive the news that you had become Lord of the Hornwood or we would have come down here and destroyed you before you even had the chance to amass any form of power. And lastly, you're fortunate that we meet on such pressing times that require our unwavering attention, and as my people know, not even this blood feud can make me ignore the needs of my House. As I said, you're a lucky man, but that does not have to be in a good way."

She stood tall and stoic, her Ironwood sigil proudly catching the afternoon sunlight as she continued, nodding at Arthur and Magus behind her, "However, despite how I feel about you, I would still like to thank you for your gifts. It meant a great deal to me that you have returned to me that which I thought I had lost. However, I want to make one thing clear: we can never forgive nor forget what you did. This is the first and last time we work together and after we are done with this mission we shall never see each other again. Do you understand, Lord Hornwood?"

A single tear streamed down her cheek as she finished talking but her face was still stern and expressionless. Archus looked back at her, profusely sweating, his eyes wide as he processed all that she had said. Anna could tell that he was terrified of her, especially since she wasn't the same eight-year-old girl that could be knocked down by a simple backhand slap. After a long pause, he looked around nervously and noticed that all eyes were on him, waiting to see what his response would be. He glanced at Arthur before bowing again and saying, "Very well m' lady. I shall remember all that you have said. Now please follow me. I shall show you that which you have come this far to see." With that, he immediately turned and walked into the keep, not even checking if the others were following him.

 

*****

 

Jon paced back and forth in the study of Ironrath's keep, visibly confused as to what should be done next. Before him were a large stack of papers that were strewn all over the place and had to be looked through before dawn. It had been only a week since Lady Anna had left Ironrath with her troops, and the work had already piled up quicker than both he and Maege could have ever expected. He wondered what Anna was thinking while appointing him as the castellan and Maege as the interim Lady, because he could never see either of them in this position. A small smirk lit his lips as he pondered if their appointment had anything to do with the fact that Anna, Jon, Edric, Maege and Ashun's son, Rodin have been close since they were children. " _It's all about trust._ ", he thought to himself as he rubbed his tired eyes with his hands. The sun hadn't even set yet and he was already tired, his eyes barely able to keep themselves open, while he read and signed the various documents pertaining to the various aspects of ruling a city. It seemed like the day would never end.

Overseeing the city's requirements till Anna returned was a gargantuan task which was not made any easier by Maege deciding that they should pool all their resources towards fortifying the battlements and the walls that encompassed the entire stronghold. Even now he could hear the sounds of men working tirelessly on internal defense systems as well as the battlements, strengthening them in the event of an incoming siege. Though Jon at first disagreed, deep down he knew that things were not as they seemed and that they could be attacked at any minute, and so he kept quiet and followed with whatever Maege told them to do. She was only a few years older than him but she carried herself like a true leader when it came to matters of statesmanship and Jon trusted her just as much as Anna did.

He drank some more water from the jug he kept at the table, though his eyes kept darting towards the pitcher of ale that sat on the small stool next to the cupboard. Avoiding ale was the worst part of this task because he knew that if he even took a swig of that deliciousness, he would not be able to keep himself awake. Sighing he pulled back the chair and sat down, adjusting his shirt as he pulled the chair closer to the table and picked up the nearest parchment to begin his documentation. He did not envy Edric and the work he has to endure on a daily basis, but he knew that Edric and Anna prefer having work to do just so that they would be distracted and not wallow in their thoughts and memories. He had seen too many of Edric's episodes to know how important it was that they never be left idle and alone. It had gotten better over the years, but they could never be too careful. That was what made Edric the perfect Lord since he would always keep himself occupied in the matters of importance and get some work done regardless of how tired he was.

Shaking his head, he stretched his arms and looked down on the table, noticing a small piece of parchment that lay under the stack. It was a letter written by Anna, that had arrived from Hornwood a few hours ago, asking about Rhaenys and whether she had returned to Ironrath yet. Jon groaned realizing that he was yet to write a reply to it. Picking up his quill and an empty scroll of parchment he began to write, hoping that the situation was alright at Hornwood. He was still surprised that she had gone there despite the history she and her brother had with that house, but questioning Anna was always a bad idea considering she's always two steps ahead of most people.

Unfortunately, Rhaenys had still not returned making Jon and Maege worry about where the direwolf had disappeared to. They had sent a few soldiers to scour the Wolfswood around the city over the past few days but they had found nothing, not even prints on the ground. It was highly unusual for her to disappear for a week without returning once in a while and Jon wrote as much, making sure to make things sound a lot more optimistic than they actually were. " _This is why I will never have a pet. It's just another piece of your life to worry about. The only difference is that this piece thinks for itself._ ", he sighed to himself, finishing the letter and packing it in a small case before walking over to the raven that had perched itself in the study after delivering the letter. Tying the scroll securely to its foot, he lifted the raven up and held it in front of the window, allowing it to flap its wings and take off to its destination, watching it till it was a tiny speck in the evening sky.

He was just about to go back inside and finish his work, when a subtle movement in the distance caught his eye. Turning back he looked at the horizon checking if he had actually seen something or whether it was just his eyes playing tricks on him, but what he saw made his eyes widen and his grip on the windowsill tighten.

 

There was a column of smoke rising up from the Wolfswood.


	8. Lost & Found

Rhaenys woke up with a start, immediately met with the stench of dried blood and urine, her direwolf eyes adjusting almost immediately to the darkness around her. Licking her snout with a small yawn, she tried to listen to the vibrations around but her mind was still a little cloudy from the effects of whatever was given to her and she couldn't quite process and recognize all the sensations. Her vision still wasn't clear enough but she tried to look around the room, moving her head ever so slightly. Black, moist walls met her at all sides, except for the metal gate that loomed in front of her, with a lock and key in the middle. Beyond the gate however, all her eyes could see was infinite darkness. She growled softly, hating being in confined places and tried to lift herself off the ground shakily checking if she could maintain her balance. However, for some reason she could not move forward. She turned her head around looking behind her and saw that her hindlimbs were shackled to the wall with manacles, preventing her from reaching the gate. Growling, she tried to break free with as much strength as she could muster, but the restraints refused to budge from where they were bolted to the floor.

After trying again for a while, Rhaenys finally gave up and sat down on her hind. Confined spaces always made her feel uneasy. She was a direwolf after all, not one of those puny wolves that roamed most of the North, and she needed her wide open spaces as much as her brother, Fenrir did. Not only did she feel cramped but also blind for even though the fog across her senses was fading, it just was not as fast as she had hoped. The scents of the room overpowered her but her sight and hearing were still not sharp enough to make out anything else. She still couldn't even see a few feet beyond the metal gate.

She lay her head back down on her forelimbs, whining softly to herself. She missed Anna, missed having a comforting presence around her, someone that she trusted and loved to be around. That was when she remembered that she had been following her mother before being caught. She lifted her snout up a little and tried to catch the familiar scent and sure enough, she did. It was faint but it was there, almost as if it was waiting for her eager nose to sniff it out. The familiar, warm scent of her mother. She lay back down, head on her forelimbs, relaxing ever so slightly for at least she now knew her mother was nearby. Now all she could do was wait and see if anything happens, so she closed her eyes and drifted back into a shallow sleep, ready to act in case anything were to happen.

 

*****

 

A while later, she woke up to the sound of light footsteps. Her ears perked up, angling towards the source and her eyes opened ever so slightly. Everything seemed to be ten times brighter since her vision had come back to normal and she quickly peeked outside her gate to see a carpeted hallway with another cell right opposite her. It was empty but she could catch the metallic smell of fresh blood drifting out from the room. There was a small sliver of moonlight coming out from three slits in the ceiling, but they barely lit the rest of the hallway up.

Her ear twitched again, as the sound changed direction, coming closer towards her. The footsteps seemed to belong to someone who was very stealthy since they were times that the sound was extremely faint. They stopped at various places, a few seconds at a time, getting closer and closer, almost as if they were searching for something. After a moment, they stopped directly outside her cell. Rhaenys continued to lie with her head over her forelimbs, facing away from the gate with her eyes closed, playing possum. The scent that was emanating from the owner of the footsteps was both acidic and watery at the same time, something she had never experienced before but for some reason felt a bit familiar. It did not smell of pine and cedar-like most Northerners, but apprehension and fear were palpable in the scent.

Rhaenys continued to lay still, listening carefully as the stranger continued to stand on the other side of the gate motionless. She could feel eyes watching her, a warm light illuminating her and smell the fear increase ever so slightly. The silence was broken by metallic scratching noises and after a few minutes the gate swung open, followed by another bout of silence. Rhaenys stayed quiet and as still as she could, but the muscles in the limbs began to tense as she could sense that the stranger was about to make a move. Sure enough, she could feel the air around her change as the stranger began to slowly enter the cell and approach her.

The moment the man got close enough, Rhaenys lunged as fast as she could, ready to wrap her teeth around the intruder's throat but she stopped herself mere inches from his face. The man before her stared back with wide eyes, his pale face seemingly turning even paler with fright, as he stared into her eyes. She continued to stand in front of him, assessing him and finally recognising his scent. Her heavy breathing blew his short brown hair away from his face, landing back down even messier than before, the strands of white standing out vividly to her eyes. It was the young man who was in the cart next to her mother.

He stared back at her with wide eyes, and Rhaenys could even hear his heart pounding rapidly in his chest. He had evidently never been this close to a direwolf before, and it clearly showed at the way he stammered as he struggled to communicated with her.The man raised his hands up, one holding a makeshift torch that he had made using part of his shirt and a small wooden rod. Rhaenys looked down at the torch and back at him, her heart beating a little faster at the flames. She wasn't afraid of fire but she wasn't very fond of it either. The stranger watched her carefully, realising she was looking at the torch and getting a bit apprehensive about it. He looked around the room and placed the rod on a small bracket protruding near the top of the wall on his right.Once he did, he raised both his hands again and kept moving them in the air back and forth, looking confused. Rhaenys stood her ground, cocking her head to the right and then growling at him, cautiously more than aggressively.

The man stopped moving and stood stock still, his hands still in the air with his empty palms facing her. They continued to stare at each other, the frightened man and the large black direwolf, silently and cautiously. Finally Rhaenys retreated and sat down concluding that the man was not a threat and that he could be of help to her. Maybe he could help release her so that she could find her mother. She looked straight at him, her eyes slightly lower than his, owing to his height. He still looked terrified but she could hear his heartbeat was slowing down ever so slightly.

Carefully bringing his hands down to his sides, the man relaxed his stance a bit. He glanced at her a little longer, looking around the room and beckoning her to follow.Rhaenys continued to watch him silently before growling softly trying to catch his attention. The stranger stepped closer and looked at her with a confused expression on his face. She growled again, nodding her head and pointing towards her hindlimbs. The man followed her gaze walking around her, finally seeing the manacles that had her trapped in place.

Without hesitation, he dug into his pockets and pulled out a pair of tiny metal pins. Rhaenys' eyes followed the shiny pins as he rolled them between his fingers, kneeling down beside her hindlimbs. She could feel the manacles moving against her fur while he used the pins to unlock them and then finally with a loud click they gave way. She immediately stood up on all fours, stretching her hindlimbs before turning around and facing the man. The direwolf looked at him for for a second longer before turning and walking towards the hallway, softly whining to herself, glad that she was finally free of her shackles.

The stranger grabbed the torch and followed Rhaenys into the hallway. The moonlight filtering through the slits in the ceiling, that repeated at regular intervals, barely lit the ground well enough. He was having a tough time seeing where he was going and if not for the torch in his hand he would fallen multiple times. Rhaenys on the other hand, was able to traverse the carpeted floor without issue owing to her now normal eyesight. Her snout was close to the floor focusing on the scent of her mother as she quickly hurried down the long hallway. The man followed her blindly, for he walking next to a direwolf was the only place he felt safe in this dungeon.

They walked past several cells, some of which were empty, while others were occupied by men, most of whom looked like they have been there for weeks. The man wanted to stop and investigate and maybe let out more of the prisoners so that they could help, but Rhaenys continued to run forward, following the scent that she was focusing on. He called out in a whisper as he tried to catch up with her, "Where are you going?"

Rhaenys did not even turn to look in his direction so the man tried again in a loud whisper, "I'm not sure if you can understand me, but I need your help to get out of this place. Stop please!"

She finally stopped and turned to face him but did not respond in any way, other than staring at him with blank eyes. The man looked at her and realized it was a lost cause trying to communicate or guide her elsewhere, so he sighed and said, "Very well. Lead the way."

She turned and continued to walk quickly but quietly, her feet making almost no sound against the floor despite her size. Lowering her snout she caught her mother's scent again, which was slowly getting stronger as they continued to walk down the hallway. To the stranger it seemed like the hallway was endless, with cell after cell leading them to a dead end. He stayed close to the direwolf, keeping the torch away from her so that he wouldn't burn her unintentionally.

After walking for a while, they finally reached what appeared to be a dead-end, but it turned left into another hallway that stretched as long as the previous one. It looked exactly the same as the previous hallway with multiple cells on either side, a dirty red carpet on the floor and repetitive slits in the ceiling. Once again it was poorly lit and the stranger held the torch out in front of him trying to see ahead. Beside him, Rhaenys bounded forward and stopped in front of the third cell on the left where she stood still, looking inside and whining. She turned back at him and looked at him silently.

The man walked up to her, still not making much sound with his footfalls, and he looked into the cell. He still couldn't make out anything so he held his torch near the metal bars of the gate and was met with two glowing eyes followed by a soft growl. He stepped back, fear striking him again, and he looked at Rhaenys, wondering what she wanted him to do next. She looked back at him with a blank expression and then nudged the keyhole repeatedly with her snout.

Finally understanding, he pulled the pins out of his pockets, placing the torch on a bracket before he did so. Kneeling down, it took him only a few seconds to open the lock and once he did, Rhaenys looked once again into the cell, whining loudly and wagging her tail. Inside, standing on all fours with her eyes wide open, almost as if she had been waiting for them, was her mother.

The man walked into the cell cautiously and unshackled the manacles that bound the dire wolf's hind legs. The minute the manacles were off, the grey direwolf stretched herself and walked out towards Rhaenys, her tongue licking her jaw. She began to sniff her as she began to walk around her, looking at every angle of the younger direwolf, almost as if she was confirming the identity. After a while, her torn right ear twitched and the older wolf pounced on Rhaenys, pushing her to the floor, rubbing her snout against her daughter as they playfully bit and clawed at each other. Thus in the dungeons of the Last Hearth illuminated by the darkness of the prison cells, broken only by the faint sliver of moonlight through the slits in the ceiling, mother and pup were finally reunited.


	9. Unsuspecting

Outside the keep, Oliver watched Anna's Elite troops standing off to the side discussing amongst themselves. Though he was the captain of the Forrester troops under Anna, the ten Elites refused to involve him in their meetings, dismissing him with condescending scowls. "Well, they are called Elites for a reason," Oliver thought to himself, still a bit annoyed that they did not consider him their equals. He leaned against one of the pillars in the courtyard scratching his auburn stubble as he looked up at the roof of the keep, wondering what was happening inside. He had always admired the way the Forrester siblings handled themselves in tense meetings but he still felt a bit uneasy about the present situation.

It had been only about a half-hour since one of the Hornwood guards had approached the Forrester camp announcing that the prisoner had been cared for and was ready to meet Lady Anna. Oliver was sparring with her at the time and for some reason, she had seemed much more distracted than usual during the entire session. The minute the guard arrived, she sheathed her sword and walked up close to Oliver before whispering in his ear, "Accompany us into the city. Jorhen and I will enter the keep but I need you outside in the courtyard, watching the Elites."

Oliver's eyes had widened ever so slightly as his gaze switched to the black-armored men that stood off to the side, watching them spar. They stood stock still but he could feel them staring at him intently, studying their session. "May I ask why, m'lady?" he whispered back as he pretended to focus on sheathing his sword. Anna backed away raising her eyebrows a bit and pointing towards the Forrester sigil on her armor. "Iron from Ice, captain!" she had called out as she walked away to prepare for the meeting.

Now as he watched the Elites discuss quietly amongst themselves, his hand lay still on the hilt of his sword, beneath the dark blue cloak he wore, uneasiness flooding him.

*****

Anna walked into the hall of the Hornwood, her eyes roving around as her restless and anxious mind refused to stay calm. All she wanted at this point was for this ordeal to end and so she could finally find out who her enemy was. Jorhen walked close by her side, his presence bringing some amount of comfort to her. Yet her heart continued to beat rapidly in her chest as she approached the table before her where Archus, Magus and a well-rested Arthur sat, discussing some personal matters. It didn't help that the longer she stayed, the more she wanted to get as far away from this place as possible.

The hall was very simple and did not have the magnificence or awe that Ironrath's great hall always used to bring out in her. There was a singular window on the wall to her right through which she could see the courtyard surrounding the keep. There was no other furniture besides the table in the center of the room where the Hornwood family sat. Anna counted five Hornwood guards in the room, including the ones who had escorted her. They were moderately armored and armed and they stood still, watching her enter through the corner of their eyes. She could sense the tension in their faces as if they were still scared that she would try to harm their lord in any way.

As they entered the hall, she saw Arthur's face light up as he jumped to his feet. "Lady Anna!" he exclaimed and waved at her vigorously. Sleeping in his own bed, even if for a short while, seemed to have agreed well with him; he looked fresh and calm for the first time since Anna had seen him. She smiled at him and waved back before walking up to Archus and nodding, "Well, is he ready?"

Archus stood up and bowed, "Yes m' lady. I have treated him well just as you had asked. He will be brought to us shortly." He nodded to one of the Hornwood guards standing near the door before gesturing Anna to take a seat at the table as they waited. Once she sat, he followed suit and looked at her with a solemn expression before saying, "I would like to apologize again for the state that you saw the prisoner in. However, I was under the impression that since he was assisting in a plan against your house, that you wouldn't care how he was treated as long as he gave us answers."

Anna raised an eyebrow. Earlier that afternoon, once they had arrived, they had followed Archus down into the dungeons of the Hornwood where he took her to the cell in which the prisoner was being held. She was shocked to see the state the man was in. There were no beds or furniture of any sort inside the cell, except for a broken bucket that sat in the far corner. The prisoner sat covered in dirt from head to toe like he had not cleaned himself in days. His hair was messy and all over the place while his beard was unkempt, hiding a swollen and bleeding face that he probably sustained form the questioning sessions. She could also make out partly healed wounds on the man's arms and legs. The man was so traumatized that he backed away the minute they even opened the gate to his cell. Though he had taken part in the plot against Ironrath, Anna couldn't help but feel sorry for him. For all she knew, he could have been forced to be a part of this coup. That was when she had immediately turned to Archus and refused to stay there any further until he had allowed the prisoner to groom himself.

"Let me ask you, Archus. Were you successful?" she asked with a hint of sarcasm on her lips.

He turned red but maintained eye contact, "No, m'lady. We have had him for a week and he still hasn't divulged any information."

Anna nodded and replied, "I care about how he is treated, because this man may have just been following orders. For all we know, the ones who sent him probably left him for dead."

Archus thought for a while and sat back down, "I see. Compassion is your tactic, correct?"

Anna nodded, "Now we do things my way. Let us see if it works." She sat back in her chair, folding her arms as they waited.

*****

Oliver yawned ever so slightly, still a bit tired after the sparring session with Lady Anna. He straightened his cloak and leaned his back against the pillar his eyes refusing to leave the black-armored Elites in front of him. They stood several feet away near the doors of the keep in an arrowhead formation, ready to march into the building if necessary. He was glad the hall of the keep was on the same floor as the entrance as it would make it that much easier to assist Lady Anna. At the front stood Edmund, their leader, muttering continuously to the rest of his men with a strained expression on his face. Oliver wished he could hear what they were saying but he did not want to interfere in their matters, let alone alert them that he was eavesdropping. He trusted Lady Anna's instincts and wanted to carry out her orders perfectly.

Archus Hornwood, for all his vanity and paranoia, had called in all the guards into the hall to protect him in case Lady Anna tried anything untowardly. He had neglected the security outside the building and left only two Hornwood soldiers outside, guarding the entrance to the keep. They now stood beside the keep's door armed with spears, their tense faces staring at the Elites before them. Oliver would have smiled at the standoff but he had a feeling the situation would likely escalate with the slightest misstep.

Edmund finished speaking to the men behind him and turned ahead facing the two Hornwood guards. Something about the way Edmund was looking at the guards made Oliver feel restless, making him tighten his grip on his sword. The rest of the Elites followed suit, reforming the arrowhead formation as they stood in attention. " _Something is happening_." he thought as he straightened himself away from the pillar and onto his feet. Oliver looked around, cursing Archus for taking all the guards into the hall with him.

When he turned back to look at the Elites, he saw that Edmund was looking right at him, their eyes meeting only for an instant before Oliver realized that Lady Anna was right. The Elites had a mind of their own. He grinned at Oliver before drawing his sword and advancing on the Hornwood guards, his men doing the same behind him.

Oliver tossed his cloak to the side and ran forward, his mind racing. " _There was no way I could send a message to my men in time. I need to hold them off long enough for one of these Hornwood men to warn everyone in the hall._ " He ran towards them yelling, "Edmund! What are you doing? Where are you going with your men?" None of the Elites responded, instead they raised their shields as they continued to march towards the two Hornwood men.

The two guards beside the keep's door frantically looked around for help, unsure of what was happening. "Stop!" one of them yelled, raising his hand out before him. "Halt!" the other guard called out raising the spear out in front. Oliver could see the weapon trembling in the guard's hands.

He slowed down as he approached the Elites, jogging up to the front of the group where Edmund stood. The Elites ignored him and stopped a few feet in front of the Hornwood guards, their shields still raised and their arrowhead formation unbroken. The guards, who had begun to call for help as loud as they could, stood in a ready stance with the spears out in front of them. "Forresters! Stay where you are! Do not move!" one of them called out, mustering up their courage.

Oliver stood his ground, standing between the guards and the Elites, facing Edmund. "By the gods, what are you doing Edmund?"

Edmund stood still staring at Oliver over his raised shield, his eyes filled with resolve and anger, but instead of responding he let out a low whistle. The two Elites on either side of him raised their shields higher, ducking behind them while the two Elites behind them stood up taller and in one fluid motion threw their swords straight at the guards. Oliver turned back in shock to see the two Hornwood soldiers collapse to the floor, with the longswords embedded deep into their skulls. Blood ran down the walls on either side of the door of the keep, forming tiny rivulets as they flowed through the tiny cracks in the uneven stone.

Oliver looked at the Elites with disgust etched on his face. Drawing his sword he readied his stance, but continued trying to appeal to Edmund, "Lady Anna is not in danger! If she was, Jorhen or her would have given us the signal to attack!"

Edmund muttered under his breath, but loud enough for Oliver to hear, "Get out of our way." He nodded and the black-clad troops lowered their shields as they began to advance into the keep. Oliver stood his ground, his sword raised in front of him as he prepared himself to face the ten Elites. His mind began to race as he thought of a way this situation could be handled, but no matter how much he struggled to avoid it, he knew that the only way he would survive and also contain the troops was to lure them into the great hall where all the Hornwood men were stationed.

He slowly began to back away, acting as if he were retreating from the Elites, watching them carefully in case they were to try and attack him. None of the Elites, other than Edmund, had as much resolve on their faces, instead they looked like they were just following orders. Oliver found that very interesting but kept it to himself still backing away slowly, occasionally adding swift blows that Edmund blocked effortlessly with his own sword. He had no intention of even attempting to take on the Elites alone, as he was sure he wouldn't last five minutes against ten of Ironrath's best troops. It irked him deeply to admit it, but he valued his life more than his ego and in this moment he knew he needed help. As much as he could get.

*****

It took about five minutes before the doors to the hall opened and the guard finally walked back in with the prisoner. Anna looked up to see a man who looked completely different to the one that she had encountered in the dungeons of Hornwood. His beard was neatly trimmed and his hair was tied back in a knot, hanging down to his shoulders. His face was cleaned of all the dirt and grime revealing a middle-aged man with a pleasant face, his bright blue eyes adding to his striking aura.

Archus stood up and motioned at the man, "Lady Anna, here is the prisoner, well-fed and taken care of as you requested."

Anna looked at Archus and nodded slightly before standing up and walking up to the prisoner, assessing him as she did so. As she approached the man bowed curtly, "Greetings, Lady Anna Forrester." The fear behind his voice was unmistakable, but so was the underlying gratitude that Anna was hoping to hear from him.

Anna was tall, so she was able to look him straight in the eyes as she put her hand on his shoulder and asked, "What is your name, good man?"

"Wilbur, m'lady."

Anna nodded, "Well Wilbur, I apologize for the way Lord Hornwood has treated you. But I am not him and I shall make sure that you are well taken care of. For you are of great importance to me." She smiled softly at him as she spoke.

Wilbur stared at her and smiled back, visibly calming down. Anna was trying to get him to be comfortable around her. Comfortable enough to tell her what he knew. It was a tactic she had learned from one of the stories her mother had told her. _Why expect to torture the truth out of your enemies, when you can just guarantee their safety and buy it from them in exchange for protection and comfort?_

Anna put her arm around Wilbur's shoulders as she guided him towards the table offering him her chair. He looked down at it for a while, almost as if he were still unsure of whether to accept it or not. After a moment's pause he smiled and sat down letting out a soft sigh. His hands massaged his thighs for a moment as he looked around, actively avoiding eye contact with Archus. Then he turned to Anna and said, "M'lady, am I wrong in assuming that you have brought me here to find out whom I was delivering the letter to?"

"No, you are not, Wilbur. Will you tell me?"

He looked at her silently for a few seconds later before saying, "Yes. However, I have failed my orders to deliver this information. Thus my life is in danger regardless of my situation. They will hunt me down and kill me!" Wilbur began to breathe heavily as he started to panic. Anna motioned Jorhen to get up so that she could sit on the chair beside Roben.

Despite the cuts and bruises on his face, which were mended as best as possible, Anna could see old scars on his face. It almost made her feel bad for him, but now was not the time to let emotions cloud her judgment. This was the moment she was going to figure out who the enemy was and she needed to play her cards right to get that result.

"Wilbur, you have my word as a Forrester that no harm will come to you. In fact, I will have you protected by my own men from whoever is sent to hurt you. That is my promise."

There was suddenly a loud commotion outside and Anna could hear people yelling discernibly but she kept her focus on Wilbur, watching his expression as she awaited his response. His eyes roved around her face searching for any sign that she was being dishonest, but after a while, his expression softened and he nodded.

"The Last Hearth," he said with a deep breath.

Anna sat back in her chair, shocked, "The Last Hearth?"

Wilbur nodded again, "Yes m' lady. The only reason I came to Hornwood was because I came here to settle a score I had with one of my old friends. But he turned me in after I revealed my mission in a drunken stupor."

"Who sent you there? Whom were you delivering it to? The Umbers?" She was brimming with even more questions, but she held back. " _In due time_ ", she said to herself.

The commotion outside the doors was getting louder and Wilbur was starting to get a bit nervous. Behind him, Archus was looking around as well, talking quietly to his guards. Wilbur swallowed and said, "I couldn't see his face, m'lady. He found me at a tavern and pulled me outside to a small alley, where he threatened to kill me if I didn't deliver this. He said if I did, he would reward me well. He said that the Forresters will think -"

What happened next took place so quickly, that Anna had absolutely no time to react. The doors of the keep, flew open as Oliver came flying through and landed on the floor before them. His left arm ended below his elbow in a bleeding stump that was trailing blood everywhere as he wriggled on the floor in pain. Anna looked up to see her ten Elites charging through the doors slaughtering the Hornwood guards that were positioned inside the hall one after the other. The remaining guards were caught completely off guard and were struggling to regain their positions, but Magus took charge and ordered them to swarm around Archus and Arthur to protect them.

"Lady Anna!" Oliver shouted looking up at her. "You were right. The Elites are acting on their own!"

Unbeknownst to everyone else, Wilbur gasped in fright, his trauma from the torture evident, and he dived behind the table away from the commotion. Anna and Jorhen sprung into action drawing their blades and stepping up to the front of the table as they bent down and helped Oliver to his feet. He thanked them but shrugged them off holding his sword out with his right hand and holding his left stump close to himself. Jorhen tore a piece of the bottom of his shirt and began to wrap it around Oliver's stump to stop the bleeding. Meanwhile, The Elites broke formation and began to surround Anna, but to her surprise their swords pointed away, facing the Hornwood guards who surrounded Archus.

Anna and Jorhen looked at each other confused at the situation that was playing out before them. The two groups of troops were standing in semicircles on either side of the hall, surrounding their respective leaders as they faced each other, waiting for someone to make the first move. There were sounds of swords clashing still emanating from the hallway outside but the silence in the great hall was ripe with tension.

"What is going on?" Anna demanded angrily.

"We were told that you were in danger Lady Anna!" one of the Elites responded.

"In danger? Who told you that? I told you I would give my signal if that were the case!"

The Elites looked at each other confused and some even lowered their weapons slightly, and relaxing their stance. "Who?" Anna asked again.

"I did." Edmund said as he entered the great hall tossing aside one of the Hornwood guards he had just killed. His blade was red with fresh blood as he walked into the hall surveying the scene before him with a smirk on his face. Anna's eyes widened but she kept her calm, "Edmund, explain yourself right now!"

Edmund ignored her and continued walking into the hall calmly in between the two groups of men. The Elites surrounding Anna looked even more confused as their captain walked towards the table ignoring them but they stood their ground just in case the Hornwoods decided to retaliate. Anna watched as Edmund walked up to the table and reached under it, dragging out a frightened and helpless Wilbur by his shirt. Anna immediately began to work her way out of the semicircle, that the Elites had kept her in against the wall, but it was proving to be a bigger task than she expected. The Elites were holding ground even though they were confused at what was happening. "EDMUND!" Anna screamed as she struggled to get out into the open. 

Edmund looked up at her and calmly drove his sword into Wilbur's chest, pushing it in deep until the hilt was in contact with the poor man's chest. He gasped in shock looking down at the blade, his hands making helpless motions to expand his chest so he could breathe as he choked in his own blood. Anna let out a frustrated scream, pushing one of the guards on to the ground and charging at Edmund with her sword drawn, her eyes filled with fury. Blood dripped onto the floor from the other end of the blade that protruded out of Wilbur's back as Edmund withdrew it, ready to face Anna.

She charged into him, bringing her sword down from over her head. Edmund blocked her with his own sword, but he wasn't as quick as she was, so she swerved to her right and kicked him with her left shin square in his black breastplate. He grunted and fell back a few steps taking deep, heaving breaths as he regained his stance and stood with his sword before him, starting to look annoyed.

Behind them, the Elites had dropped their guard and were standing in mute shock at what was happening before them. Some of them broke away to join the fight but Oliver and Magus stepped in front of them joined by the Hornwood troops creating a wall between the Elites and their leader. Jorhen ran up to the fight but crouched low to attend to Wilbur, but the man was already dead. His vacant expression stared up at the ceiling, his open mouth making him look like he was screaming even in death. Jorhen sighed, and shut the man's eyes before hoisting him onto his shoulder and moving him away from the fight.

Edmund tried to strike Anna from her left but she parried effortlessly with a small spin that brought her into Edmund's left flank. He blocked her jab and they stood there for a while, each trying to overpower the other. As they tussled in that position, Anna asked him furiously, "Why?! Why did you do that!" Edmund didn't respond and instead kicked her in the shin, making her lose balance and fall to the ground. He gave her no time to prepare as he brought the sword down on her head, but she rolled out of the way and spun to a crouched stance with one kneel on the ground and her sword to her side. She changed her grip on the blade and slashed upwards as Edmund pounced upon her, the blade making contact with his face. Blood splattered onto her as she dived forward into a roll and stood up behind him shoving him forward, away from her.

"Who do you work for?" she screamed at him again, panting and wiping the blood off her face, brandishing her sword out in front.

"You want to know who I work for?" Edmund growled slowly. He turned around, his face covered in blood from the long gash that extended from his chin to his left temple. "You m' lady. I have always worked for your family."

Anna's eyes widened, "My family? MY family??"

She let out another frustrated scream and stomped her right foot onto the ground, "You just killed the one man who could help me find out who my enemies are! Not to mention, you also killed these innocent Hornwood soldiers as well! Men who had no part in any of this!"  


Edmund spat on the ground in front of her, "Stupid girl! Some truths are not meant to be revealed. I had orders to kill this man from the start, even after I gave him the letter that he was to deliver."

"It was you? You gave him the letter?" 

Edmund ignored her and continued, "This is not some silly doll game that little girls like you can understand. This is a far more important scheme being played out to fruition by people much smarter and more experienced than you." 

He began to slowly walk towards her, ready to attack, "Now run along home, sweetheart. It's only going to be a matter of time before you and that arrogant brother of yours lose your home."

Anna's face twisted with anger and she swiped her blade across the air, spraying blood onto Edmund's face. The Elite captain screamed in pain, holding his face as some of the droplets landed in his eye, giving Anna enough time to run her sword straight into his throat. Edmund collapsed onto his knees, clutching his throat and face as he drowned in his own blood.

Anna did not wait to see him die, instead, she drew her sword, threw it to the side and walked out of the great hall. She could hear Arthur call out to her, but it sounded like it was coming from somewhere in the distance as her mind began to race and stretch sending all her senses into a spiral. She trembled with rage, betrayal and loneliness, as she walked outside, ignoring the fact that her hands and clothes were covered in blood. Anna had felt many things throughout her life, but this was the first time since her father died that she had experienced this feeling: Helplessness.

 


	10. Whispers

_She walked amidst the dirt and grime, tired and yet not so tired. Her body crying for sleep, but her mind as fresh as the morning sun. Nothing could make her more satisfied than the feel of the wind on her back, the scent of nature all around. None of which she could feel at the moment, trapped in the long room, running this way and that. A small word slowly crept into her mind as she looked down the room. "_ Hallway, _" it said to her. She nodded in agreement and looked up at the gaps in the ceiling. It was the only source of light, sparingly so, but her eyes were still able to pierce through the darkness allowing her to lead her companions further. Raising her nose, she smelt meat, sweat and the dampness from the grime on the walls. However, the scent that was overpowering all her senses, was that of blood. It coated everything that they passed and almost seemed to emanate from the floor itself._

_It had been many years since she had been granted freedom from the shackles of her mortal self, but here she was once again, unable to do as she pleased. All she wanted was to escape. Nothing more, nothing else. She was one now. No longer was she separate. No longer was she alive. She had been dead. Yet she had lived on, running through the woods, as free as she could be. Gone were the feelings and thoughts of the past, now she just had what she needed. With no complications. She wanted to feel that again. But the grimy walls made the air seem damper and more suffocating than it was and the scent of blood was overpowering. She knew she would have to muster up all her energy to figure out where they needed to go from here. Concentrating her thoughts did help, but only so much._

_She was growing tired of running aimlessly for hours with no sight of escape._ _Her two companions were as oblivious and lost as she was. The human especially didn't seem to be getting well adjusted to their surroundings. His eyes darted around unable to see as well as she could. As they ran, words whispered into her head from her past life. A life that had been happy but lacked excitement, and was full of betrayal. With the words came the memories of what once was, filled with screams and blood. But now her memories were all muddled and distorted. The words made little sense to her, though deep down she understood what they meant. She shook her head and ignored them as she continued, following her strongest sense, scent._

_One word, in particular, continued to echo in her head. It had always been there ever since her mortal self had died. Coated with authority and shrouded with guilt, the word hung there in her head. A two-syllable word. Or was it a name? She couldn't differentiate anymore._

_The word was Ashun._


End file.
